
GIass_^S_5Ai 
Book W^ 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE, 

AND / / ^i 

EXCELLENCE 



Airj 



CHRISTIAN RELIGION 



FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS, 



BY NOAH WEBSTER, LL. D. 




NEW HAVEN: 



PUBLISHED BY DURRIE & PECK. 

1834. 



.W4 



Enlered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1834, 

by Noah Webster, LL. D., 

in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the Connecticut 

District. 



J A-^ 



Printed by Hezekiah ffowe & Co. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The general object of this little book, is, to 
show the excellence of the Christian religion, and 
of course, to prove the ine&timable value of the 
book in which this religion is revealed and incul- 
cated. The writer has aimed to present to the 
reader the evidence of ^purpose or design in the 
works of creation ; thus proving the wisdom and 
benevolence of the creator, no less than his unlim- 
ited power. So in the moral system, the adapta- 
tion of the laws of God to the best interests of 
men, both in temporal and spiritual things, is 
clear evidence of his wisdom and benevolence ; 
and both in the physical and moral systems, the 
adaptation of means to ends affords indisputable 
proof of intelligence in the author. 

New Haven, May, 1834. 



TALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



Read the first chapter of Genesis. 

Section 1. Of the Creator. — This is the only au- 
thentic account we have, of the creation of the 
Universe. The account supposes the existence of 
God, a being who existed before all created things, 
and who was possessed of infinite power, a powder 
sufficient to create what did not before exist. Our 
own reason must assent to the same trutb ; for we 
know that mere matter like that of the earth, is 
inert, having no power to act at all,; and of course 
could not create itself. 

2. Manner of creation, — Of the manner in which 
divine power was exerted in making w^hat did not 
before exist, we can have no conception. But the 
scriptures represent that the heavens and the earth 
were created by the word or command of God ; 
^nd that the production of material things was in- 
.stantaneous. The Psalmist describes the exertion 
of Almighty power in creation with unequaled 
brevity and sublinjity : "He spoke and it was done; 
he commanded and it stood fast." Ps. xxxiii^ 9* 

3. Original form of the earth. — When the earth 
was first created, it was ''without form and void ;" 
that is, it was a confused mass of matter, called 
by pagan writers chaos, and enveloped in darkness. 
The scriptural expression ''darkness was upon the 
face of the deep," indicates that this chaotic mass 

1* 



b VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

was fluid or covered with a fluid, and that the spi- 
rit of God moved or acted upon the face of this 
mass, in the work of creation. 

4. Of light. — The creation of light is announ- 
ced in the scripture, in language extremely simple, 
but strikingly sublime. ''And God said. Let there 
be light, and there Vv^as light." The command of 
God instantly produced that substance which ren- 
ders things visible to the eyes of created beings, 
without which we could do nothing with comfort or 
convenience, and even life might be insupportable. 
This substance God pronounced to be good; and 
we know this to be true by constant experience. 

5. Of the Day and Night. — God separated the 
light from the darkness ; the light he called Day, 
and the darkness, Night, In our solar system, 
the Sun is made the chief depository of light. His 
rays diffuse this substance to all the planets or vast 
orbs which belong to this system, of which the 
earth is one. The fixed stars are also depositories 
of light, and they may be suns, the centers of other 
systems. When light was created, the evening 
and the morning were the first day. 

6. Of the Firmament. — The firmament is prop- 
erly the vast expanse over or around the earth ; 
the true signification of the word is expanse. In 
this appear the sun, moon and stars, and in this is 
the atmosphere, which is composed of air, sur- 
rounding the earth. This contains a vast body of 
water invisible, but which is often condensed in 
a visible form in clouds or vapor. This fund of 
water supplies the earth with rain, and when con- 
gealed, falls in snow or hail. Thus the water of 
the atmosphere is separated frona the waters of the 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 7 

ocean, lakes and rivers on the earth. The ex- 
panse or firmament is called heaven, 

7. Of the Ocean. — At the command of God, the 
waters under the heaven were collected into one 
place, and this collection is called seas or the ocean. 
This mass of water covers more than three fifths 
of the surface of the earth. When the water re- 
ceded from the earth, the dry land appeared, which 
is called Earth. 

8. Creation of plants. — When the chaos of mat- 
ter was reduced to form and the water separated 
from the earth, God said, ''Let the earth bring forth 
grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree, 
yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its 
kind." This command produced its effect, and the 
earth brought forth grass, plants and trees for the 
sustenance of men and beasts, afterwards to be cre- 
ated. These plants follow the laws which God 
established for their reproduction. Each plant 
produces its proper seed, by which the species is 
continued, and will be continued as long as the 
earth shall endure. 

9. Creation of the Sun, ^c. — When the earth 
was thus prepared for the support of men and ani- 
mals, God created the sun, moon and stars, to give 
light upon the earth, and to regulate the seasons. 
Among these were two great lights, the sun and 
TTioon ; the sun, the inexhaustible source of light, 
to illuminate and warm the earth, and the moon to 
receive light from the sun, and reflect it upon the 
earth, during the night. 

10. Creation of Animals. — We are next inform- 
ed that God commanded into existence fishes and 
fowls; fishes of every kind to fill the waters of the 



8 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

seas, fowls to fly in the open expanse, above the 
earth. Then were created cattle and all creeping 
animals ; the earth, the seas and the air were fur- 
nished with living beings for the future use of men. 
And all kinds that were created were pronounced 
to be good. 

11. Creation of man, — When the earth was fin- 
ished, and furnished with all its vegetable and ani- 
mal productions, God closed the great work of 
creation bj the formation of Man. This race of 
beings God created in his own image or likeness; 
with a body erect and a dignified aspect ; endow- 
ed with a soul and intellect, free from sin ; a race 
of an order superior to that of all other living 
beings on the earth ; and gave him dominion over 
all the earth, and over all animals. This creation 
of Man was the work of the sixth day, at the close 
of which God pronounced every thing he had made 
to be very good. 

Read the second chapter of Genesis. 

12. Origin of the Sabhath, — In this second chap- 
ter of Genesis we have an account of the origin of 
the Sabbath. When God had finished the heav- 
ens and the earth and all the host of them in six 
days, he rested on the seventh day, and sanctified 
it. Sabbath signifies rest; and the Israelites were 
afterwards commanded to observe the seventh day 
of the week as a day of rest from labor, a holy 
day consecrated to the immediate service of God. 

13. The first man. — In this chapter we have a 
more particular account of the formation of the 
first man called Adam. He was made of the dust 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 9 

of the ground, his body consisting of bones, flesh 
and blood, was formed of mere inert matter, into 
which these substances are all converted at his 
death. But into his nostrils God breathed the 
breath of life, and he became a living soul. From 
Adam descended all the human race ; all being one 
species, formed of like materials and with similar 
intellectual powers. 

14. Garden of Eden, — When man was made, 
and with proper faculties to provide subsistence 
for himself, God planted a garden, called Eden, 
and placed Adam in it to dress or cultivate it and 
to keep it. In this garden God caused to grow 
every tree that was pleasant to the sight and good 
for food, so that Adam was abundantly supplied 
with fruits for sustenance. In this garden was also 
the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good 
and evil. 

15. Divine command respecting the tree of 
knowledge. — Of the fruit of the trees in the gar- 
den Adam was permitted to eat freely, with the ex- 
ception of one tree, the tree of knowledge of good 
and evil, in the midst of the garden, of whose 
fruit he was forbidden to eat, under the penalty of 
death. This tree then was intended to try the 
fir.st man's obedience to God's commands. 

16. Creation of woman, — The first man being 
thus placed in Eden, God provided for him a fe- 
male companion, by causing him to fall into a deep 
sleep, and taking one of his ribs, of which he 
formed a female. This female, said Adam, " is 
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh," and be- 
cause she was taken out of man, he called her wo- 
man. He also gave her the name. Eve, as being 



10 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

the mother of all the human race. The intimate 
union of Adam and Eve, the progenitors of all 
mankind, constituted the first marriage, the most 
endearing and important relation in life. 

The poioer, wisdom and benevolence of God dis- 
played in the works of creation. 

17. The Universe, — In viewing and contempla- 
ting the vi^orks of creation, we are struck with as- 
tonishment at the magnitude, the variety and the 
beauty of the bodies which compose the visible 
Universe. Innumerable resplendent orbs, station- 
ed in the vast extent of space, at inconceivable 
distances from each other, so as to appear like 
mere spangles in the sky, though a thousand times 
larger than this earth, fill us with admiration and 
amazement. We shrink even from an effort to 
reach in thought the boundless extent of such a 
scene ; or to comprehend the stupendous power of 
the creator. 

18. The fixed stars. — The fixed stars, which 
shine by their own light and are distinguished from 
planets by their twinkling, have always the same 
relative position; and therefore are supposed to be 
suns or centers of systems. They appear to have 
no immediate connection with our Solar system ; 
but they adorn the vast concave over our heads, 
enliven the gloom of night, and delight the eye 
with their sparkling radiance. 

19. Solar System. — The system of orbs, of 
which this earth is a part, consists of the Sun, and 
several planets, primary and secondary. The Sun 
is stationed in or near the center of this system, 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 11 

and around it revolve the primary planets at diffe- 
rent but vast distances and in different periods of 
time. Some of these planets are attended with 
smaller orbs, which revolve about them, and are 
called secondary planets. One of these is the 
moon, an orb that revolves around the earth. 
These planets receive their light from the sun. 

20. The Earth. — The earth, like the other plan- 
ets, is round or nearly spherical. It is about nine- 
ty five millions of miles from the sun, the center 
of the system. It has two motions, by one of 
which are caused the day and night; and by the 
other, is determined what we call the year. These 
movements are regular. 

21. Bay and Night. — To form the day and 
night, the earth is made to revolve on an imagina- 
ry line, called its axis. It makes one complete 
revolution from west to east in twenty four hours. 
This is called a diurnal or daily revolution, du- 
ring which the whole surface of the globe is pre- 
sented to the sun. That half of the surface which 
is enlightened by the sun has day ; and that hair 
which is turned from the sun has night. The dark- 
ness of night therefore is the shade of the earth. 

22. Uses of the Day and Night. — The division 
of time into day and night is a most benevolent 
provision for the convenience and comfort, not on- 
ly of men, but of many species of animals. The 
light of the sun is necessary to enable men to per- 
form their labors, at the same time, the heat of 
the sun's rays is necessary or useful in promoting 
vegetation. Night, on the other hand, is necessa- 
ry or useful for rest; darkness and stillness being 
favorable for sleep. Beasts, for the most part, feed 



12 VALUE OF THE BIBLH. 

in the day time, and sleep at night. This division 
of time therefore is a proof of the goodness of the 
creator, in adapting his works and laws to the wel- 
fare of his creatures. 

23. The Year. — The earth revolves around the 
sun once in three hundred and sixty five days, and 
about six hours. This revolution constitutes the 
year, and is called its annual revolution. And by 
the inclination of its axis to the plane of the eclip- 
tic or path of the sun, so called, the earth receives^ 
at one time, the rays of the sun in such a direction 
as to be much heated, and this heat constitutes 
summer. In another part of the year, the rays of 
the sun strike the earth more oblikely, and pro- 
duce little heat. This defect of heat constitutes 
winter. But the sun is always so nearly vertical to 
the parts of the earth near the equator, as to con- 
stitute perpetual summer. 

24. The Moon, — The small orb which we call 
the Moon is a secondary planet revolving round 
the earth once in about twenty nine days, which 
period constitutes a lunar month. It receives light 
from the sun, a portion of which is reflected to the 
earth, illuminating the night with a faint light. 
When the moon comes directly between the earth 
and the sun, it hides a part or the whole of the disk 
of the sun from the inhabitants of the earth. This 
is a solar eclipse. When the moon, in its revolu- 
tion, passes through the shadow of the earth, a part 
or the whole of its face is obscured; and this is a 
lunar eclipse. 

25. Remarks on the Solar System. — The admi- 
rable adjustment of the solar system to its purpo- 
ses, is very striking. By the revolution of the 
earth on its axis, we have a constant succession of 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 13 

day and night ; the one for labor, business and ac- 
tion, the other for rest to refresh the wearied body. 
The revohition of the earth round the sun deter- 
mines the year, a regular division of time, highly 
important and useful ; while the position of its axis 
varies the seasons, causing summer and winter in 
due succession. While we admire the beauty, or- 
der, and uses of this arrangement, we cannot but 
be surprised at the simplicity of the laws by which 
it is effected. All the works of God manifest his 
infinite wisdom, as well as his unlimited power. 

26. The Earth. — The structure of the earth ev- 
ery where exhibits the wise purposes of the crea- 
tor. The surface of the earth consists of dry land, 
or land covered with water, and hence the earth is 
called terraqueous. The land is intended for the 
habitation of men, and of various animals, many of 
which are evidently intended for the immediate use 
of men, and others are doubtless intended to an- 
swer some other useful purposes in the economy 
of the natural world. 

27. Subsistence of men and animals, — The 
principal part of the food of man and beast is pro- 
duced by the earth ; and the first thing to be noti- 
ced is the soil which covers a great portion of its 
surface. The soil is various ; but well adapted to 
produce different kinds of plants. It is naturally 
or capable of being made, so loose and soft as to 
admit the growth and extension of roots, which 
serve the double purpose of conveying nutriment 
to plants, and of supporting them in an upright po- 
sition. The soil is chiefly loam, clay or sand or 
a mixture of all, and diflferent soils are best adapted 
to produce different trees and herbage. 

2 



14 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

28. Vegetable productions, — The wisdom and 
benevolence of the creator are wonderfully mani- 
fested in the variety and uses of plants. In the 
first ages of the world, men fed upon acorns and 
nuts, the seeds of trees, produced without labor. 
This mode of subsistence was, in some measure, 
necessary for mankind, before they had invented 
tools or learned the cultivation of the soil. When 
men had multiplied, and learned the uses of grain, 
then commenced agriculture, the most important 
occupation of men, and the chief source of sub- 
sistence and wealth. 

29. Esculent grains. — The different species of 
grain intended for the food of men, are fitted to 
grow in different climates. Of these rice is one 
of the principal kinds. It grows only in warm 
climates, and its qualities are peculiarly fitted for 
a wholesome diet in such climates, which tend to 
produce fevers of a bilious type. Probably half 
of the human race subsist on rice. 

30. Wheat, rye and maiz. — Next to rice in im- 
portance is wheat, which gives us the finest flour 
and best bread. This plant is fitted to grow in al- 
most every habitable latitude. Rye, though less 
valuable, constitutes a large portion of food in 
parts of the earth not fitted to produce rice or 
wheat. Maiz or Indian corn, a native grain of 
America, supplies an abundance of nourishing food 
both for man and beast. This grain is wonderfully 
fitted to grow in different climates. In the warm- 
er latitudes, where the summer is long, it rises to 
the highth of twelve or fourteen feet. In the tem- 
perate climates where the summer is shorter, it ri- 
ses only to the highth of seven or eight feet, and 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 15 

in colder climates, its highth is not more than four 
or five feet. 

31. Plants of less general use, — In distribu- 
ting the materials of food, the creator has given to 
every country such plants as the climate will bring 
to perfection. Oats are fitted for cool climates, 
and in such climates, grow to a larger size than in 
warmer latitudes. Certain varieties of turneps and 
potatoes grow to higher perfection in the cool cli- 
mates of Sweden, Scotland and Nova Scotia, than 
in the warmer climates and richer soil of more 
southern latitudes. Such facts prove the benevo- 
lence, as well as the wisdom and power of the 
Creator. 

32. Trees, — Trees are the largest species of 
vegetable productions. These are of various kinds, 
species and varieties ; all consisting of a stem and 
branches, supported by roots which penetrate the 
earth, convey water or nourishing matter to the 
stem and branches and sustain the tree in an up- 
right position. The woody part of the tree is pro- 
tected by a tough bark or rind, and the branches 
terminate in leaves which imbibe nourishment 
from the air, and form a thick and beautiful foli- 
age for shade. 

33. Uses of trees. — Trees furnish men with fuel 
for fires, and with timber for buildings of all kinds 
— houses and barns as shelters for men and beasts 
— fences for inclosing fields — bridges for crossing 
rivers — and ships for navigating seas and lakes. 
Some species supply timber for furniture — some, 
are used for dyeing — some yield gums and resins — 
and many bear fruits which supply food, for man 
and beast, or various liquors and spices. — Spices 



16 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

are productions of the tropical or warmer cli- 
mates. 

34. Herbaceous plants, — Great varieties of grass- 
es, or herbaceous plants, cover the face of the earth 
wherever there is soil to produce them. Many of 
these are intended as food for cattle and various 
animals. The substance of such is succulent, or 
so soft as to be easily chewed or cut with a sythe, 
that they may be dried and preserved for use in 
winter. Many of these plants are indigenous, 
growing without cultivation ; but the most useful 
of the grasses are cultivated. Thus abundant pro- 
vision is made for the subsistence of cattle, or do- 
mestic animals most necessary for the use of men. 

35. Beauty of plants, — The goodness of the 
creator is manifested also in the beauty of the veg- 
etable kingdom. The most common color of grow- 
ing herbage and the leaves of trees is green ; a 
color not injurious to the eye, and the more agreea- 
ble as being connected with growth and vigor. But 
nothing can equal the beauty of vegetable blos- 
soms ; the variety, richness and delicacy of the 
flowers which adorn the earth, in the proper sea- 
sons, baffle all human art and all attempts to do 
them justice in description. 

36. Propagation of plants, — The modes by 
which plants continue their species, are a wonder- 
ful proof of the divine purpose and wisdom. The 
chief mode is by seeds, which each plant produ- 
ces, and which fall to the earth, when the plant 
dies, or at the close of each summer. Each seed 
contains the germ of a new plant of the same spe- 
cies, which is defended from injury by a hard shell 
or firm coat, and thus protected, the germ may 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 17 

continue for years, perhaps for ages, until the seed 
is placed in a condition to germinate. The seed 
of some plants is a bulb, growing in the earth, as 
in the potatoe, the onion and the tulip. Some 
seeds are fethered that they may be wafted to a 
distance by wind. Many small seeds are the food 
of birds, and by them are dispersed. The seeds 
of rice, wheat and other plants are the chief sup- 
port of mankind. 

Animals, 

37. Variety of Animals. — For the use of man, 
and other purposes God created a great variety of 
animals having bodily powers as perfect as those 
of mankind, but with intellectual pov^^ers much infe- 
rior. Their faculties are adapted to their condi- 
tion. They have what is called instinct, a faculty 
of directing them without any process of reason- 
ing to the means of support and safety. Some of 
them appear to have powers similar to human rea- 
son, as the elephant. Many of them intended for 
the use of men, are capable of being tamed and 
taught to perform labor, and various services for 
mankind. 

38. Land Animals, — Animals destined to live 
on land have luno^s or organs of life as mankind 
have, and live by respiration. Their bodies are 
composed of like materials, bones, flesh, and blood. 
They move by means of legs 'and feet, by wings, 
or by creeping. They are mostly furnished with 
instruments by which they defend themselves from 
their enemies, as horns, hoofs, teeth and stings, 
^ome of them subsist on herbage and fruits, par- 

2* 



18 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

ticularly such as are intended for the use of man, 
as horses, oxen, cows, sheep, camels and elephants. 
These are called herbivorous or graminivorous 
animals. 

39. Forms of animals, — The first thing to be 
observed in the animal kingdom, is the adaptation 
of the form and propensities of each species to its 
modes of life, and to its uses. The camel, the 
horse, the ox and the sheep have four legs, and 
walk with their heads in a line with their bodies, 
so that they can take their food from the earth 
with the mouth, as they stand or walk. The ele- 
phant's neck is short, but he has a strong muscular 
trunk, with which he can feed himself. Most of 
the large quadrupeds have hoofs consisting of a 
horny substance for walking on rough ground. 
But the elephant and camel have a tough muscu- 
lous foot for walking on sand; thus being fitted for 
traversing the deserts of Asia and Africa. 

40. The bovine kind and sheep. — The ox is pe- 
culiarly fitted for draft, either by the neck or head 
and horns, his body is very strong and his neck 
remarkably thick and muscular. The female is 
formed for giving milk, and both male and female 
are easily tamed and very manageable. These an- 
imals feed by twisting off the grass or herbage, 
which they swallow, and when filled, they lie 
down and chew the cud ; that is, they throw up 
the grass or hay from the stomach and chew it 
leisurely for more easy digestion. The sheep 
feeds much in the same manner. 

41. The horse. — The horse is fitted for draft as 
w^ell as the ox; but he is also fitted to bear burdens 
on his back, and his form is more beautiful than 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 19 

that of the ox. His neck is elegant and his gait 
noble. In the harness or under the saddle, the 
horse exhibits an elegant form and motions. The 
motion of the ox is slow and well adapted to draw 
heavy burdens or plow rough ground. The horse 
moves with more rapidity and is most useful on 
good roads for rapid conveyance, either upon his 
back or on wheels or runners. 

The form and habits of these animals manifest 
most clearly the purpose of the creator, in fitting 
them for the use of mankind. 

42. Wild animals. — Many species of animals live 
in the forest, and subsist upon herbage or upon the 
flesh of other animals, without the care of man. 
Some of these are tamable. Animals which sub- 
sist wholly or chiefly on flesh are called carnivor' 
ous. These are more rapacious and diflicult to 
tame, than the herbivorous species. Yet the cat 
and the dog, which are carnivorous, are domesti- 
cated, and in some respects very useful to man- 
kind. Carnivorous animals are formed for their 
mode of subsistence; having hooked claws for 
seizing their prey, and sharp pointed teeth for tear- 
ing their flesh. 

43. Animals for food and clothing. — Many an- 
imals are useful to mankind for food and clothing. 
The ox, the sheep and swine, supply men with a 
large portion of their provisions. Among rude na- 
tions, the skins of animals, with little or no dress- 
ing, furnish a warm covering for the body, and 
skins were the first clothing of Adam and Eve. 
The wool of the sheep constitutes a principal ma- 
terial for cloth, and next to fur is the warmest cov- 
ering. Furs are taken from animals inhabiting 



20 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

the cold regioPiS of the earth. These are the most 
perfect non-conductors of heat, that is, they best 
prevent the heat of the body from escaping, and 
are therefore the warmest clothing. 

44. Rejiections. — In the animal as well as veg- 
etable kingdom, we see the wonderful wisdom and 
goodness of God. The animals which are most 
useful to man are easily tamed and subsisted. 
Some of them assist him in cultivating the earth 
and carrying on his business ; and when they are 
too old for these services, they are fattened for 
slaughter, and their skins are dressed for use. 
Many wild beasts subsist without the care of men, 
but their skins and furs are converted to im.portant 
uses. Furs, the warmest covering, are found in 
the coldest climates. Wool, next to furs in pro- 
tecting the body from, cold, is produced chiefly in 
the temperate latitudes, where it is most wanted. 
These facts prove the wisdom of God, and his 
goodness, in providing for the wants of his intelli- 
gent creatures. 

45. Fowls, — Fowls or birds are winged animals, 
destined to move with velocity through the air. 
For this purpose their bodies are made light, and 
so shaped as to pass through the air in the most 
advantageous manner ; that is, with the least re- 
sistance. Their wings are extremely strong, and 
are easily m.oved with surprising rapidity; the 
large fethers or quills being so placed as to form 
a suitable angle for propelling the body forward ; 
while the smiall fethers which cover the body and 
keep it w^arm, are so laid back one upon another, 
as to offer no resistance to the air. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 21 

46. Mouth and feet of fowls. — As fowls are des- 
tined to subsist on different species of food, their 
mouths are fitted for the purpose. Those which 
feed on small seeds and little insects have gene- 
rally bills or beaks which are straight and pointed. 
Those which subsist on flesh have hooked bills for 
seizing small animals and tearing their flesh. The 
feet of fowls are also admirably fitted for their 
modes of life. Those which are destined to light 
on trees, have toes with sharp nails, which enable 
them to cling to the small twigs ; and some species 
use their nails for scratching the earth in search of 
food. 

47. Aquatic fowls. — Fowls destined to frequent 
water, and to subsist on fish, have forms adapted 
to these purposes. Some of them have long beaks 
for seizing and holding fish ; some have longer 
legs than other fowls, and wade in shallow water 
in search of food. Others have webbed toes, or 
palmated feet, that is, the toes are connected by a 
membrane, which serves as an oar or paddle for 
propelling them in swimming. The bodies of 
aquatic fowls form a model, in some measure, for 
the body of ships ; being fitted to move through 
the water with the least resistance. 

48. Uses of fowls, — Many fowls are used as 
food ; and some of them constitute our most deli- 
cate dishes. Not only the flesh, but the eggs of 
the domestic species, enter into various articles of 
cookery. Their fethers form our softest beds, and 
their quills, in the form of pens, record the events 
of life, and are made the instruments of preserving 
and communicating sacred and profane writings to 
distant nations and ages. The plumage of birds, 



22 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

presenting a variety of the richest colors, is among 
the most elegant ornaments of creation ; some of 
the winged race often delight us in our dwellings 
with their varied notes, while others cause the sol- 
itary forest to resound with the melody of their 
tsongs. In this department of creation, we dis- 
cover abundant proofs of the wisdom and benevo- 
lence of the creator. 

49. Fishes. — Fishes are formed to inhabit the 
waters of the ocean, of rivers and lakes ; and for 
this purpose they have a peculiar structure. They 
have not lungs like those of land animals, as no 
air can be imbibed in water, except such as the 
water contains. Some of them imbibe air with 
water by their gills ; others occasionally rise to 
the surface of the water and imbibe air ; and some 
species of animals are amphibious, being able to 
live a long time under water, then betaking them- 
selves to the land. 

50. Form of fishes, — Fishes being destined to 
move in a fluid more dense than air, and of course 
making more resistance to motion, are formed with 
slender bodies, with a pointed mouth, the body 
swelling to its full thickness at or near the head, 
and then gradually sloping to the tail. The body 
is furnished with fins ; those on the back and sides 
serving to balance the body and keep it in a propt- 
er position, while a strong tail, ending in a fin, 
serves as an oar to propel the body forward. 

51. Uses offish, — Many species of fish are used 
as food, and some of them constitute an important 
article of commerce. They are produced in the 
deep in inexhaustible abundance, and cost nothing 
except the time and labor of catching and curing 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 23 

them. The largest species, the whale, supplies us 
with oil for lamps and for various other uses. 
Our houses and streets are lighted, and the ma- 
chinery of our manufactories is kept in order, and 
its movements facilitated by oil formed in the bo- 
som of the ocean, and perhaps on the opposite 
side of the globe. 

52. Man, — The last species of living beings 
created by God, was man. This species differs 
from all other orders of animals in external form, 
and still more in mental endowments. The form 
of man is erect and dignified ; his body and his 
limbs ^are equally distinguished for strength, for 
beauty and for convenient action. The head at 
the upper end of his body contains the eyes or or- 
gans of sight. These are placed in orbits which 
protect them from injury ; and the better to see in 
various directions, they are movable by muscles, 
which turn the balls in a moment. These deli- 
cate organs are defended also by lids Vvhich may 
be instantaneously closed to cover them ; and the 
eye-lashes, while they add beauty to the face, 
serve to protect the eyes from dust and insects. 

53. The mouth, nose and ears. — The mouth 
is the aperture by which food is taken for nour- 
ishment. In this are the teeth for breaking and 
masticating the food, and the tongue, the principal 
instrument of taste and of speech. The nose is 
penetrated with apertures or nostrils, by which air 
is received and communicated to the lungs, and as 
respiration cannot be interrupted without loss of 
life, and as the nostrils may casually be obstruct- 
ed, the creator has provided that air may be inhaled 
by the mouth, that life may not depend on a single 



24 VALUE OF THE BIBLE^ 

orifice. The ears, organs of hearing, have a wide 
aperture for receiving vibrations of air, and convey- 
ing sound to the auditory nerve. 

54. The neck and body, — The neck which con- 
nects the head with the body is smaller than the 
body, and so flexible as to permit the head to be 
turned. The chest or thorax, the upper part of 
the body, contains the lungs and heart, organs in- 
dispensable to life, which are defended from inju- 
ry by the ribs and sternum or breast bone. 

55. The arms. — To the upper part of the body 
are attached the arms, by a joint at the shoulder. 
By means of this joint, the arm may be moved in 
any direction. Near the middle of the arm is the 
elbow, a joint by means of which the arm may be 
bent for embracing, holding and carrying things. 
At the wrist is another joint, for turning the hand. 
The hand at the extremity of the arm has five fin- 
gers, each of which has three joints by means of 
which they may be bent for grasping objects. As 
the thumb is intended to encounter the strength of 
the four fingers on the opposite side of an object, 
it is made much thicker and is sustained in exer- 
tion by a larger and stronger muscle. 

56. The lower limbs, — The lower limbs are at- 
tached to the body by a joint that admits of a for- 
ward motion for walking; while the joint at the 
knee permits the limb to be bent. To the end of 
the leg is attached the foot which is so broad as to 
support the body in a steady position. The ankle 
joint permits the foot to be turned and raised for 
the convenience of stepping. The firm muscular 
substance of the heel, and that at the first joint of 
the great toe, are well fitted to support the body, 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE, 25 

or receive its weight in stepping. The motions 
of the legs are dependent on some of the strong- 
est muscles and tendons in the body. Muscles 
are firm fleshy substances, and tendons are the 
cords by which the muscles are attached to the 
bones. 

57. Bones and skin. — The frame of the body 
consists of bones, hard firm substances, which sup- 
port the softer flesh and viscera. The bones, for 
enabling animals to move and exert power in va- 
rious ways, are connected by joints, so fitted as to 
permit the limbs to move ; the round end of one 
bone being placed in the hollow of another, or oth- 
erwise inserted so as to be movable. The flesh is 
a softer substance, but the muscular part is that 
which gives active strength and vigor to the limbs. 
The whole frame is invested with skin, a tough 
substance, covered with a cuticle. The firmness 
of the skin defends the flesh from injury, while its 
extreme sensitiveness serves to give us notice of 
any external annoyance, and put us on our guard. 

58. Of the viscera and blood. — The principal 
viscera are the heart, and lungs, in the thorax or 
chest, and the liver and bowels in the abdomen. 
The lungs support life by receiving and expelling 
air at every breath. The fresh air conveys the 
living principle to the lungs, and the foul air is ex- 
pelled. The heart by its motion drives the blood 
into the arteries, which convey it to every part of 
the body and limbs, and the veins receive it at the 
extremities and re-convey it to the heart. By the 
blood, heat is communicated to all parts of the 
bodv. 

3 



2& VAtUE OF TliE BIBLE. 

59. Intellect and soul, — Wonderful as is the 
structure of the animal body, and the adaptation' 
of its parts to support life, still more astonishing is 
the existence of intellect, a soul and moral facuP 
ties, with the matter which composes the body.* 
We can, without much difficulty, conceive of me-^ 
chanical powers exerted in respiration and the cir-» 
culation of the blood ; but we can have no idea 
how the powers of understanding, and reasoning 
can be united with matter which is by itself inert 
and insensible* There is perhaps no fact in the 
universe, which, to us, is so utterly inexplicable, 
and which so forcibly impresses upon our minds 
the agency of almighty power. The existence of 
human intellect is by itself absolute demonstratiort 
of the being of an infinite God, and of his exclusive 
agency in our creation. 

60. Seat of the intellect. — The brain is evident- 
ly the seat of the understanding. This is a soft 
delicate substance, inclosed in the skull, which 
consists of bones, and defends the brain from inju- 
ry. From the brain proceeds the spinal marrow, 
which extends through the back-bone, and from 
which branches of nerves extend to different parts^ 
of the body. The nerves are supposed to be the 
organs of sensation and perception. Any serious^ 
injury or disordered state of the brain destroys the 
regular exercise of reason, and a separation of the 
spine is followed by instant death. 

Structure of the earth, 

61. Land, — That part of the earth which is not 
covered with water consists of a variety of soils* 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 27 

and contains a variety of mineral substances. Its 
general division is into hills or mountains and 
plains. Hills or elevations of moderate size are 
composed sometimes of sand, clay or other earthy 
matters, without rocks ; but often their base is a 
body of rocks and stones. But vast masses of rock 
are usually the bases of mountains ; and not un- 
fi^quently the whole mass is rock not even covered 
with earthy matter. 

62. Uses of mountains. — Mountains are useful 
or necessary for the purpose of forming slopes and 
declivities, in land, which are necessary to give 
currency to water. If the surface of the land were 
perfectly level, there could be no rivers ; and wa- 
ter falling upon the earth must be stagnant, until 
absorbed or evaporated. Hence we observe that 
continents or large tracts of land, on which rivers 
must be of great length, in order to reach the ocean 
or other reservoir, contain high mountains. The 
reason is obvious; the sources of long rivers must 
be in very elevated regions, or there would not be 
a sufficient declivity or descent, to conduct streams 
to the sea. 

63. Other uses of mountains, — The rocks which 
form the bases of mountains are often useful for 
various purposes. Such are limestone, slate and 
granite. They often contain iron, and other valu- 
able metals. They embosom reservoirs of pure 
water which issues in springs, which are the sour- 
ces of rivers. Many mountains are covered with 
earth sufficient for producing forests of trees for 
fuel and timber. On them also grow medicinal 
plants for the use of man ; and the forest is the 
habitation of wild beasts whose flesh may feed, or 
whose fur may warm some part of the human race. 



X9 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

64. 'Minerals, — The earth abounds with mine-^ 
ral substances, which are of immense importance 
to mankind. Of these the most useful are salt and 
coal. It is remarkable that in many countries, re- 
mote from the ocean, the earth embosoms vast 
masses of salt, for the supply of the inhabitants. 
Such is the fact in Poland, whose mines of salt are 
a wonder. And where salt already crystallized, is 
not taken from mines, it may be obtained from 
water saturated with salt, raised from natural res- 
ervoirs in the earth, as in Onondago, in the State 
of New York. This is a benevolent provision of 
the Creator, for the comfort of men, in places re- 
mote from the sea. 

65. CoaL — The vast beds of coal found in the 
earth are another proof of divine goodness. Some 
countries, without this mineral, would not be hab- 
itable or at least not populous for a long period of 
time. Such is the case with England. That 
country has long since been destitute of wood for 
fuel, and without coal, not only must many of its 
manufactures cease, but its population must be re- 
duced. The immense treasures of coal in the Uni- 
ted States, such as those in Pennsylvania, are 
among the most valuable gifts of Providence to 
mankind. 

66. Metals. — Among the most useful substances 
contained in the earth are the metals. Of these 
iron is the most necessary to mankind ; so necessa- 
ry indeed that without it men must have remained 
in a half-barbarous state. To this mnst be added 
gold and silver which are the instruments of com- 
merce among all civilized nations. Being scarce, 
they can never lose their value by superabundance, 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 29 

being very hard, they are not liable to be worn 
away, and not being liable to rust, they retain their 
luster and their substance, a long time, unimpair- 
ed. To these may be added lead, tin, copper and 
zink, all of great value in the arts. 

(37. Air and Water. — It is observable, that God, 
in his wisdom and benevolence, has created not 
only what men want, but has created in the great- 
est abundance, what is most necessary, or essential 
to their existence. Thus air, which is indispensa- 
ble to life, invests the whole globe. Wherever 
men go, they find air for respiration. Next to air 
the most necessary substance, is water, and this is 
abundant in most parts of the earth. And the bet- 
ter to preserve the purity of these fluids, provision 
is made in the economy of the creation, to keep 
them almost continually in motion. 

68. Wi7ids. — By the laws of nature, heat ex- 
pands air and puts it in motion. When air is 
rarefied, it becomes lighter than in its usual state, 
and the denser or heavier air rushes to the place 
where it is rarefied. This is one of the general 
causes of winds, which blow from land to the ocean 
or from the ocean to land, according to the state 
of heat. At certain times, when the earth is heat- 
ed, cold air rushes from the regions of the clouds, 
with rain or hail, cooling and refreshing the heat- 
ed earth. Violent winds frequently agitate the 
ocean and currents continually carry water from 
one climate to another. 

69. Water, — The ocean is the great reservoir of 
water on the earth ; there are also inland seas, 
lakes and rivers. The water of the ocean is salt, 
but in evaporation the salt is separated and left 

3* 



30 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

behind, and fresh water only rises in vapor. Won- 
derful is the process of evaporation and generation 
of rain. By the heat of the sun or drying winds, 
water is raised from the ocean and the earth, but 
in an invisible state, so that the labors of man are 
not impeded by evaporation. When raised into 
the cold regions of the atmosphere, the watery 
particles are condensed into clouds, which cast the 
water back upon the earth. This interrupts the la- 
bors of the husbandman, but for a short time only, 
and it is remarkable that rain ordinarily falls in 
small drops, that do no injury even to the most 
tender plants. 

70. Form of the surface of the earth. — It is 
worthy of special notice that the two continents are 
so formed that both terminate rn navigable lati- 
tudes. On the north, the continents extend into 
the polar regions, and if any passage by water ex- 
ists between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, it is 
usually or always obstructed by ice. But in the 
southern hemisphere, Africa on the east and Ame- 
rica on the west of the Atlantic, terminate in nav- 
igable latitudes. Hence, since the sDuthern ter- 
mination of the American continent, at Cape Horn, 
has been discovered, ships are continually passing 
from Europe and the United States round that Cape 
and visiting the isles of the vast Pacific on their 
way to China, and the Indies. 

71. Advantages of this form of the earth. — Had 
the two continents been extended from pole to 
pole, the navigation from one side of the globe to 
the other would have been prevented. And had 
the continents extended east and west, the inter- 
course between the northern and southern climates, 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 31 

would have been limited, so that the fruits of the 
cold and temperate regions could not have had a 
ready exchange for those of the tropical latitudes, 
and vice versa. But in the present positions of 
the continents and ocean, the navigation between 
the climates is not interrupted: The sugar, the rice 
and the oranges of the warm climates are easily 
conveyed to the frigid zone ; while the furs, the 
fish, the timber and the metals of the north are 
borne to the equatorial regions. In all this ar- 
rangement we cannot but see the purposes of a 
benevolent creator. 

72. Moral purposes of this form of the earth, — 
It is obvious that the Creator adapted all parts of 
creation to important purposes, moral as well 
as physical. The form of the continents is fit- 
ted to favor commerce, and the free intercourse 
of nations. This commerce contributes greatly to 
the convenience of mankind. At the same time, 
commerce is made the handmaid of civilization, 
and the instrument of evangelizing pagan nations. 
In the structure of the globe we have evident 
proofs that the creator had it in his counsels to 
provide the means of recalling mankind from their 
national alienation and wandering from his service 
into a communion of Cliristian brethren. 

Read the third chapter of Genesis. 

73. Trial of Adam. — Adam and Eve were orig- 
inally in a state of innocence, and had every pos- 
sible motive to remain in that state, in the enjoy- 
ment of the favor and protection of God. But God 
placed them in a state of trial, which was intended 



32 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

to furnish proof of their obedience. He gave 
them permission to eat freely of the fruits produ- 
ced in the garden of Eden, except the fruit of one 
tree in the midst of the garden. This he forbad 
them to eat on the pain of death. 

74. Apostasy of Adam and Eve. — While Adam 
and Eve were happy in the innocent enjoyment of 
the bounties and protection of providence, Satan, 
the grand adversary of mankind, entered the gar- 
den in the form of that most subtil animal, the ser- 
pent, intending to seduce them from their duty. 
He began his attempts upon Eve, assuring her that 
if she should eat of the forbidden fruit, she would 
not die ; on the contrary, she would be greatly en- 
lightened with the knowledge of good and evil. 
Eve was deceived ; she at first hesitated, but see- 
ing the forbidden fruit to be inviting, she yielded 
to the temptation, ate of the fruit, and gave to 
Adam, and he ate also. 

75. Consequences of their disobedience. — No 
sooner had Adam and Eve eaten of the forbidden 
fruit, than their eyes were opened, and they saw 
themselves to be naked. To hide their shame, 
they made aprons of fig-leaves. In this condition 
they were alarmed by the approach of their Maker 
in the garden, and thinking to avoid his presence, 
they hid themselves among the trees. This was 
the consequence of guilt ; they were conscious 
that they had disobeyed their Maker and benefac- 
tor, and wished to escape from his frowns ; but 
the attempt was vain. God called to Adam and 
inquired where he was. Adam not being able to 
avoid his Mak^r, confessed that he was afraid, be- 
cause he was naked, and therefore hid himself. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 33 

76. Adam^s attempt to excuse himself, — God 
then asked Adam how he knew that he was naked, 
and whether he had eaten of the forbidden fruit; 
not that God was ignorant of the fact, but to bring 
Adam to a confession. Adam, to throw the blame 
from himself upon Eve, replied, '' The woman 
whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of 
the tree and 1 ate." Here Adam did what sinners 
practice at this day ; he endeavored to justify him- 
self, or at least to apologize for his sin, by casting 
the blame on another person. But God did not 
admit, nor will he ever admit, such an excuse. 

77. Conduct of Eve. — God then addressed Eve, 
and asked her what she had done. Eve also at- 
tempted to excuse herself by casting the blame on 
the serpent, saying, " The serpent beguiled me, 
and I ate." But a holy God would not admit such 
an apology ; and proceeded to denounce the pun- 
ishment of the guilty pair. 

78. Condemnation of Adam and Eve, — After 
pronouncing a curse upon the serpent, and con- 
demning that animal forever to creep and eat dust, 
God uttered sentence against Eve and Adam ; con- 
demning the woman to pain and sorrow in produ- 
cing her offspring, and to be in subjection to her 
husband ; then declaring the ground to be cursed 
for Adam's sake ; that it should produce thorns 
and thistles ; that Adam should eat bread in the 
sweat of his face, and in sorrow, until he should 
return to the ground^ from which his body was ta- 
ken. 

79. Reflections. — Tn this account we have the 
origin of sin. The disobedience of Adam and Eve 
to the positive command of God, constituted the 



34 VALUE OF THE BIBLE, 

first transgression committed in the world ; aftd 
to this sin, and the sins of Adam's posterity, are to 
be ascribed all the woes and miseries which have 
afflicted and tormented the human race from the 
apostasy of Adam and Eve to this day. Adam and 
Eve found what we all experience, that punish- 
ment and misery are inseparably connected with 
disobedience to God's commands. 

80. Banishm.ent of Adam from Eden. — Adam 
by sin had forfeited God's favor and protection, 
and incurred his displeasure. Being corrupted 
and defiled by sin, he was no longer a proper resi- 
dent of Eden ; and lest he should partake of the 
fruit of the Tree of Life, and live forever, God 
drove him from the garden to till the ground. To 
prevent his return, cherubim, probaby a guard of 
angels, and a flaming sword, which turned every 
way, were placed on the east of Eden, to defend 
the tree of life. This shows us that God's favor 
and eternal life are forfeited by sin, and cannot be 
recovered by man, except by the special mercy of 
God. This mercy God condescended to vouch- 
safe to man, in the promise that the seed of the 
woman should bruise the serpent's head. The 
seed of the woman was the Messiah, or Jesus 
Christ, who alone opens the way to heaven. 

Read the fourth chapter of Genesis. 

81. Cain and Abel. — In this short history of 
Cain and Abel, we have an account of the first 
murder committed by man. Cain was a tiller of 
the ground, but Abel was a shepherd. In process 
of time, Cain and Abel brought each his offering 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 35 

to Jehovah. Cain brought some of the fruits of 
the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of 
his flock. God received the offering of Abel with 
favor, but not the offerinjj; of Cain. This prefer- 
ence of Abel's offering excited the wrath of Cain, 
and his countenance fell. 

82. Cain kills Abel — The Lord intimated his 
displeasure at Cain, asking him why he was an- 
gry ; and telling him that if he performed his duty, 
he would be accepted ; but if not, he was guilty, 
and must submit to the consequences. But Cain's 
wrath was not appeased ; and while Cain and Abel 
were in the field, Cain fell upon his brother and 
slew him. And to this crime he added falsehood; 
for when God inquired of him where Abel was, he 
declared that he knew not: for these crimes, Cain 
was punished. God declared that the ground 
which had received his brother's blood, should not 
yield its fruit to Cain ; and that he should be a fu- 
gitive and vagabond on the earth. 

83. Punishment of Cain. — Cain was doomed to 
severe suffering for his crime, and declared " his 
punishment was greater than he could bear." He 
was forsaken by God, and declared himself liable 
to be put to death by any person who should meet 
him. But God determined that he should live, an 
enduring monument of his righteous judgment; 
and therefore set a mark upon him. Under such 
circumstances of suffering and infamy, Cain de- 
parted from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt 
in the land of Nod, that is banishment. 

84. Reflections. — In this interesting story, we 
are to notice the cause of Cain's enmity to Abel. 
This was envy. Cain could not patiently endure 



36 VALUE OF THE BIBLE* 

that his brother's offering should be accepted by 
God^ and his own rejected. This preference filled 
his heart with malice, and determined him to kill 
his brother. Instead of humility and a cheerful 
submission to God's will, his proud heart revolted, 
and he resolved on revenge. And why was Abel's 
offering accepted ? Doubtless because it was pre- 
sented in faith and piety ; while Cain's was pre- 
sented merely for form, or as an external ceremo- 
ny, without pious affections. God regards not 
form and ceremonies ; but the intention, the heart, 
the affections of his worshipers. 

Read the fifth chapter of Genesis. 

85. Long life of the antedilwvians. — In this 
chapter we have an account of the descendants of 
Seth, a son of Adam, and of their several ages, 
which rose to seven, eight, or nine hundred years, 
and upwards. The oldest man, Methuselah, lived 
to the age of nine hundred and sixty nine years. 
But there is one remarkable exception in Enoch, 
who lived only three hundred and sixty five years, 
" for God took him." *' He was translated, that 
he should not see death." Heb. xi. The reason 
assigned was, that " he walked with God." That 
is, he lived a life of holy obedience to God, and in 
intimate communion with him, at a time when men. 
in general were very corrupt. 

Read the sixth chapter of Genesis, 

86. Wickedness of man, — In this chapter, we 
have an account of the universal corruption of 



VALUE O^ THE BIBLE. 37 

mankind, which led to the destruction of nearly 
the whole race. It is stated that the sons of God 
took to themselves wives from among the daugh- 
ters of men ; which is supposed to signify that 
good men, true worshipers of God, intermarried 
with the irreligious or idolatrous. The conse- 
quence was, general corruption and wickedness. 
So general was the corruption, that one man only, 
Noah, the son of Lamech, was found to be a true 
worshiper of God, and a preacher of righteous- 
ness. 

87. Divine determination. — To such enormity 
had the general wickedness of men arisen, that 
God determined that his spirit should no longer 
strive with them ; but that he would destroy them 
from the face of the earth. The imaginations of 
their hearts, their thoughts, their purposes, were 
continually evil, so that no reformation was to be 
expected. The earth was filled with violence. 
But Noah was an exception, and he found favor 
with God, who determined to save him and his 
family from the general destruction. 

88. Preparations for the deluge, — Tn conse- 
quence of the wickedness of men, God determined 
to bring a flood upon the earth that should over- 
whelm men and all animals in promiscuous de- 
struction. But Noah and his family were to be 
preserved for re-peopling the earth ; and for his 
preservation, and that of animals, he was directed 
by God to build an ark or vessel which should 
float on the water. Noah, in obedience to this 
command, built an ark, in which he and his fam- 
ily, eight persons, were preserved ; with animals, 
male and female, to furnish the earth with new 

4 



38 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

races. All other men and animals perished in the 
flood. 

89. Reflections. — The flood is the most remark- 
able and awful event in the natural world, that has 
ever happened since the creation. What must 
have been the enormous v^ickedness of men, that 
God should move out of the ordinary course of his 
providential government, and overv/helm the earth 
with a flood of w^aters ! This event shows the 
magnitude of the evils that existed, as also the 
righteous judgment and Almighty power of God. 
It proves that however long the patience of God 
may endure, yet his vengeance will come at last. 
Wickedness will certainly meet with punishment. 

Read the 7iinth chapter of Genesis to verse IT. 

90. The rainbow, — In the beginning of the ninth 
chapter of Genesis, we have the command of God 
to Noah and his sons to replenish the earth with 
inhabitants, and his grant of all animals to them for 
food ; but with a strict prohibition of murder, and 
the feeding on blood. God also established a cov- 
enant with Noah and his posterity, declaiing that 
men and animals should never again be destroyed 
by a flood. As a token and memorial of this cov- 
enant, God promised to set a bow in the clouds, 
which, w^hen it appears, should be the sign of 
God's gracious covenant. This is the rainbow, 
which is often seen in the clouds, assuring us that 
the earth will not again be overwhelmed by a 
flood. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 39 



Read the tenth chapter of Genesis. 

^1. Descendants of Noah^—l^oah had three 
sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. The descendants 
of Japheth, the eldest son, settled the north of 
Asia, and all Europe. The descendants of Shem 
peopled Assyria, Syria and Arabia ; and the des- 
cendants of Ham peopled Africa. 

Read the eleventh chapter ©f Genesis to verse 9. 

92. Dispersion of mankind, — As all men de- 
scended from Adam and Eve, they originally used 
one and the same language. The original seat of 
men after the flood is not precisely ascertained ; 
but they came from the east and established them- 
selves in a plain in the land of Shinar, which lies 
between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, now Me- 
sopotamia. H^re they planned to build a city, and 
a tower which should reach to heaven that they 
might make themselves a name, and prevent their 
dispersion. But God confounded their language 
so that they could not understand each other, and 
they ceased from their work and were dispersed 
over the face of the earth. Hence the city and 
tower were called Babel, that is confusion. This 
country was the seat of the Chaldeans. 

93. Family of Abram. — Abram whom God se- 
lected to be the father of the faithful, was a descen- 
dant from Shem, in the ninth generation. And it 
is to be noticed that after the flood, the ordinary 
age of man was shortened, so that in Abram^s 
days, it was not more than two hundred years. 



40 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

Abram was the son of Terah, and his brothers 
were Nahor and Haran. Haran died in his native 
land in the presence of his father Terah, but he 
left a son, Lot. These all dwell in Ur of the Chal- 
dees ; but Terah took Abram and 8arai his wife, 
and Lot, and migrated to Haran. 

Read the twelfth chapter of Genesis. 

94. Call of Abram. — While residing in Haran, 
God commanded Abram to depart from that coun- 
try, leaving his father's house and kindred, and to 
take his residence in a land which he should de- 
signate. This command was accompanied with a 
gracious promise, that God would make of Abram's 
posterity a great nation, which should be blessed 
and protected, and that in his posterity all the fam- 
ilies of the earth should be blessed. In obedience 
to this command Abram accompanied by his ne- 
phew, Lot, removed to the land of Canaan. From 
Abram descended the Israelites, whom God intend- 
ed to preserve from idolatry, to be the deposita- 
ries of his laws and the true religion, and from 
whom the Messiah, the redeemer, was to descend. 

Read the thirteenth chapter of Genesis. 

95. Abram and Lot, While Abram resided 

in Canaan, a severe famine compelled him to go 
to Egypt for subsistence. After his return, the 
fiocks and herds of Abram and Lot multiplied to 
such a degree that contentions arose between their 
herdmenand they separated. Abram, in this case 
pursued a prudent course. He said to Lot, "let 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 41 

there be no contention between ns and our herd- 
men, for we are brethren" — an excellent example 
for men when at variance. Abram and Lot then 
separated ; Lot removed to the plain of the Jor- 
dan, near Sodom, but Abram remained in Canaan. 
Here God renewed to Abram his promise, that he 
would give to him and his posterity all the land in 
that region ; then Abram removed and pitched his 
tent in the plain of Mamre, in Hebron. 

96. Abraham entertains Angels. — While Abra- 
ham dwelt in Mamre, three angels appeared to 
him, whom Abraham supposed to be men. Abra- 
ham, with true hospitality ran to meet them, bow- 
ed to them, and invited them to take refreshment. 
He ordered a calf to be killed, and Sarah hasted 
lo make cakes upon the hearth, and these, when 
prepared, were set before the guests, with butter 
and milk, under a tree. What a charming example 
of genuine kindness, and unostentatious civility is 
here displayed ? The divine messengers then in- 
quired for Sarah, who was in the tent; and they in- 
formed Abraham that Sarah should have a son. Sa- 
rah overheard this prediction, and laughed, think- 
ing it impossible that she, at her great age, should 
have a son. But this was fulfilled in the birth of 
Isaac. 

Read the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of 
Genesis, 

97. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. — At 
this time God revealed to Abraham his purpose to 
destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, on account of the 
enormities of their wickedness. Abraham interce- 

4* 



42 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

ded for them, hoping that God would spare those 
cities for the sake of the righteous Avho might be 
found in them. And God told him that if ten 
righteous persons could be found in those cities, 
he would spare them. But that number undoubt- 
edly could not be found; for the Lord rained fire and 
brimstone upon those cities, and they were destroy- 
ed with all their inhabitants. But Lot had been 
warned to escape, and his life was saved, but his 
wife looking back was turned into a pillar of salt. 
This terrible destruction like that by the deluge is 
another proof of God's detestation of sin. 

Read the twenty second chapter of Genesis, 

98. Trial of Abraham'' s faith. — The next re- 
markable fact in the history of Abraham, was the 
severe trial of his faith. God directed him to take 
his only son Isaac, whom he loved, and offer him 
for a burnt offering on a mountain, in the land of 
Moriah. Abraham, without hesitation, proceeded 
to obey this command; he saddled his ass, cleft the 
wood and took Isaac and two young men and went 
to the place named. On arriving in sight of the 
place, he left the young men, took the wood, a 
knife and fire, and went accompanied by Isaac. 
Isaac, knowing that his father was going to of!er a 
sacrifice, but seeing no victim, inquired of his fa- 
ther, where was the lamb to be sacrificed ? Abra- 
ham answered, God will provide a lamb for a burnt 
offering. As Abraham lifted his hand to slay his 
son, an angel of the Lord arrested his purpose, 
;and immediately Abraham discovered a ram caught 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 43 

in a thicket, by his hornr?, which he sacrificed in- 
stead of his son. 

99. Abraham'' s faith. — This is perhaps the most 
extraordinary example of entire confidence in God, 
and complete obedience to his commands re- 
corded of any human being in the scriptures. God 
accepted it as such, for the angel told him "Now I 
know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not 
withheld from me thy son, thy only son." And 
on this occasion Abraham received a renewed 
promise, that God would bless him and multiply his 
offspring as the stars of heaven. This unwaver- 
ing faith of Abraham is an illustrious example for 
christians of all ages and nations, for God is as 
well pleased with the faith of men now, and as gra- 
cious in rewarding it, as he w^as in the days of 
Abraham. 

Read the twenty third chapter of Genesis, 

TOO. Death of Sarah, — Sarah, the wife of Abra- 
ham, died at the age of one hundred and twenty 
seven years. Abraham, being a stranger in the 
land applied to the sons of Heth, to grant him 
ground for a burying place. They very readily 
complied with his wishes and ofifered him the choice 
of their sepulchers without reward. Abraham 
bowed to them respectfully, and requested from 
Ephron the cave of Machpelah, for its worth in 
current money, declining to take it as a gift. An 
agreement was made between them, and Abraham 
weighed to Ephron, four hundred shekels of sil- 
ver for the field, and there he buried Sarah. 



44 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

In this narrative we notice, first that Abraham, 
bowed to the children of Heth, in respfect and ci- 
vility, as he had before to the angels, and as men 
do in this age. Second, that siWer was then in 
use, as the representative of property, but probably 
not coined, as it was paid by weight. 

Read the twenty fourth chapter of Genesis, 

101. Abraham sends to Haran, for a wife for 
Isaac, — When Abraham had become old, he desi- 
red to have a wife for Isaac, his son. He there- 
fore required his eldest servant to take a solemn 
oath that he would not procure a wife for him 
from among the Canaanites, but directed him to go 
to his kindred in Mesopotamia. The servant 
obeyed and taking ten camels, departed. Having 
arrived near the city, he stopped to water his cam- 
els, and prayed that when the women should come 
to draw water, God would direct him to the fe- 
male whom God had appointed to be his master's 
wife. 

102. Interview of the servant with Rehekah, — 
Before the servant had done speaking, Rebekah, 
the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and of 
Nahor, Abraham's brother, came to the well for 
water with a pitcher on her shoulder. The ser- 
vant ran to request a little water to drink, which 
she cheerfully granted, and then drew water for 
the camels. The servant was pleased with the 
obliirinor conduct of the fair damsel, and immedi- 
ately produced for her a golden ear-ring and two 
bracelets for her hands. He then inquired whose 
daughter she was, and whether there was room in 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 45 

her father's house to lodge in. She informed him 
who she was, and told him, there was room for 
him, and straw and provender for the camels. 

103. Treatment of the servant hy Bethuel and 
Laban, — The servant, with that piety which dis- 
tinguished the ancient people of God, gave ihanks 
to the Lord for his kindness to him and his mas- 
ter's house. In the mean time, Rebekah ran and 
told these things to her mother's family. Imme- 
diately Laban, Rebekah's brother, ran to the well, 
and gave the servant a cordial invitation to the 
house, where he had water to wash his feet, food 
for himself and provender for the camels. He 
then told his errand ; and Bethuel and Laban con- 
sented that Rebekah should go with the servant, to 
be the wife of Isaac. Arriving at a certain place, 
Isaac espied the camels approaching ; and Rebek- 
ah, being informed that Isaac w^as coming, alighted 
from the camel and with becoming modesty put on 
a vail. 

104. Reflections. — This narrative presents to us 
a beautiful sample of the early simplicity of man- 
ners in the east. Abraham intrusted to his faithr 
ful servant the commission of procuring a wife for 
his son among his kindred ; not willing to form an 
affinity with the idolatrous Canaanites. The ser- 
vants met Rebekah at the w^ell with a pitcher on 
her shoulder, and ready to give him and his cam- 
els drink. With what unaffected kindness was he 
received by the family. '' Come in, thou blessed 
of the Lord," said Laban; " Why standest thou 
without 5 for I have prepared the house, and room 
for the camels." And what gratitude did the .'ser- 
vant express to God for this prosperous issue of 



46 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

his journey ! Such examples are worthy of imita- 
tion by good men in every age, who should give 
thanks and praise to God for all their success and 
prosperity. 

Read the twenty fifth chapter of Genesis. 

105. Death of Abraham, — Abraham gave his 
property to Isaac and died at the age of a hundred 
and seventy five years. He left other sons, to 
whom he gave gifts, and sent them into the east 
country. Among his sons was Ishmael by Hagar, 
who has been supposed to be the ancestor of the 
wandering Arabs or Bedoweens. 

Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was 
a skillful hunter, but Jacob, was more fond of 
domestic life. On one occasion, Esau returned 
from the field weary and faint, and requested Ja- 
cob to give him some red pottage for food. From 
this circumstance he received the name, Edom, 
which, in Hebrew, signifies red. But Esau, in his 
distress, thought he might die, and sold to Jacob 
his birth right for a mess of pottage, a rash act for 
which, says the apostle, he found no room for re- 
pentance, though he sought it earnestly with tears. 
So men often barter the most valuable blessings 
for a trifling momentary gratification. 

106. Jacob obtains Isaac^s blessing. — When 
Isaac became old, his eyes were dim, so that he 
could not see. In this condition, he requested 
Esau to go to the field with his bow and procure 
him some venison for savory meat, that his soul 
might bless him before his death. Rebekah who 
was most fond of Jacob, contrived a stratagem for 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. ' 47 

obtaining Isaac's blessing for her favorite son. As 
Esau was a hairy man and Jacob was not, she put 
Esau's garments upon Jacob, and covered his hands 
with kid-skins. Thus disguised she sent Jacob to 
Isaac with savory meat which she had prepared, 
that he might obtain the blessing which Jacob in- 
tended for Esau. She succeeded, for Isaac, feeling 
Jacobs hands to be hairy, was deceived ; although 
he evidently suspected the fraud. He blessed Ja- 
cob, and the effect was that, being thus supplant- 
ed, Esau hated Jacob, and threatened to kill him. 
This was the natural effect of the fraud which Re- 
bekah had wickedly devised from partiality to Ja- 
cob. 

Read the twenty eighth and twenty ninth chapters 
of Genesis. 

107. Jacobs jour7iey and dream, — Isaac deter- 
mined that Jacob should not marry a woman from 
among the Canaanites, and directed him to go to 
Padan-Aram, and take a wife from the family of 
Laban, his mother's brother. Jacob obeyed, and on 
his journey slept at Luz, with his head upon stones 
for a pillar. Here he had a remarkable dream 
of a ladder reaching to heaven, with angels ascen- 
ding and descending upon it. Above stood the 
Lord, who addressed Jacob, and made to him a 
promise of the land on which he slept, and a nu- 
merous offspring. He also assured Jacob of his 
protection. Jacob, awakening said, " Surely the 
Lord is in this place ;" and he called it Bethel, that 
is, the house of God, 



48 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

We observe in this story, another proof of the 
special favor and protection of God, manifested to 
his faithful followers, and to the family from which 
the Savior was to proceed. 

108. Success of Jacob. — Jacob proceeded to the 
east, and came to a well where flocks of sheep 
were usually watered. Here he met with persons 
who knew Laban, and with his daughter Rachel. 
Being invited most cordially to take lodgings with 
Laban, he was pleased with Rachel who was beau- 
tiful, and he agreed to serve Laban seven years 
for his daughter. At the end of the term, he de- 
manded Rachel for his wife ; but Laban imposed 
upon him, and gave him Leah, his eldest daugh- 
ter who was not so handsome. He remonstrated 
against such an imposition; but Laban said it must 
not be that the younger daughter should be given 
before the elder; however he told Jacob to fulfill 
another term of seven years, and he should have 
Rachel. Jacob consented, and thus served four- 
teen years for his two wives. He continued with 
Laban six years longer and by his prudence and 
policy in attending his flocks and herds, he became 
possessed of a great property in cattle, and then 
returned to the land of Canaan. 

Read the thirty seventh chapter of Genesis. 

109. Joseph'^s dreams. — Jacob had twelve sons, 
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, 
Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, and Benjamin. 
These became the heads of the twelve tribes of Is- 
rael. Joseph was particularly a favorite of his fa- 
ther, who loved him more than his other children, 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 49 

and made for him a coat of many colors. This 
partiahty of his father, excited the hatred of his 
other sons against Joseph. The consequences 
were very injurious. At seventeen years of age, 
Joseph was with his brethren feeding the flocks, 
and he dreamed that when he and his brothers 
were binding sheaves in the field, his sheaf stood 
up, and the sheaves of his brothers also stood up 
and made obeisance to his sheaf. This made his 
brothers hate him the more. He also dreamed 
that the sun and moon and eleven stars made obei- 
sance to him. Jacob interpreted this to signify 
that Joseph's father and mother and e\e\en broth- 
ers were to pay him homage ; and the brothers en- 
vied him. 

110. Fate of Joseph, — The enmity of Joseph's 
brethren at last rose to that degree that they de- 
termined to rid themselves of him, and some of 
them proposed to put him to death. But Reuben 
opposed this act of cruelty, and proposed that they 
should throw him into a pit. This was done ; but 
there soon appeared a caravan of Ishmaelites go- 
ing to Egypt with merchandise ; and they drew Jo- 
seph from the pit and sold him to the merchants 
for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants carri- 
ed him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an of- 
ficer of Pharaoh. To conceal their wickedness, 
and deceive Jacob, their father, the sons took Jo- 
seph's coat and dipped it in blood and sent it to 
Jacob, saying '' they had found it," and asking 
him whether he knew it. Yes, Jacob knew the 
coat, and supposing some rapacious beast had torn 
Joseph in pieces, he rent his clothes, put on sack- 
cloth and mourned many days for his son. His 
5 



50 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

sons and daughters attempted to console him ; — 
but in vain ; his grief was too poignant to admit of 
comfort ; and he said, he would go down into the 
grave to his son, mourning. 

Read the thirty ninth chapter of Genesis. 

111. Character of Joseph. — In the service of 
his master, Joseph conducted himself with such 
wisdom and fidelity, as to secure his confidence; 
he made Joseph overseer of his house, and intrust- 
ed him with the management of all his concerns. 
In truth God was with him, for he was a good 
man. When tempted to wickedness by his mas- 
ter's wife, he utterly refused, and said, " How can 
I do this great wickedness and sin against God." 
This question shows that Joseph had as correct 
views of sin, as any modern christian. He did not 
ask how the wickedness would affect his reputation 
in the world, but how he could disobey and offend 
his maker. He had the same views as David had 
in another case, who said in his prayer for pardon, 
"Against thee, thee only have I sinned and done 
evil in thy sight." This is the language of true 
piety in every age. 

112. Joseph imprisoned. — In consequence of a 
false accusation by Potiphar's wife, Joseph was 
cast into prison. But here Joseph by his good 
conduct, soon gained the confidence of the jailer, 
who committed to him the care of the other pris- 
oners, and all the concerns of the prison. Joseph 
was protected and favored by God, who caused all 
his affairs to prosper. This is an illustrious evi- 
dence of the moral government of the world by 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 51 

God, and of his constant care of those who obey 
his will and put their trust in him. This is the 
fact now as much as it was in the days of Joseph. 
In nothing do men err more from truth and duty, 
than to attempt to conduct their affairs, in reliance 
solely on their own wisdom and strength, without 
seeking the favor and protection of God. 

Read the fortieth chapter of Genesis, 

113. Joseph'^s interpretation of dreams, — While 
Joseph was in prison, the king of Egypt's butler 
and baker offended their prince and he committed 
them to the prison, in which Joseph was confined ; 
and he had the charge of them. In one night, 
they both had dreams which troubled them. Jo- 
seph observed them to be sad and inquired the 
cause. They told him that they had dreamed, and 
there was no person to interpret their dreams. He 
then requested them to tell their dreams to him, 
intimating that the interpretation of dreams was 
from God. Joseph was favored by God and able 
to interpret the dreams. According to his inter- 
pretation, the chief butler was restored to his 
former office, and the chief baker was hanged. 
But the butler ungratefully forgot the kindness of 
Joseph, and he was continued in prison. 

Read the forty first chapter of Genesis. 

114. Pharaoh's dreams. — At the end of two 
years, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had dreams 
that greatly troubled him. He dreamed first, that 
seven cows, in good flesh, came up out of the riv- 



S2 Value of the bible. 

er, and fed in a meadow ; and then seven very lean 
cows came up, and ate t?ie others. He dreamed 
also that seven full ears of corn came up on one 
stalk ; and afterwards seven thin, blasted ears 
sprung up and devoured them. The next morn- 
ing, Pharaoh sent for all the wise men and magi- 
cians of Egypt to interpret the dreams; but they 
were not able. The butler now thought of Jo- 
seph, and was sensible of his fault in not attempt- 
ing to procure his discharge from prison. He told 
Pharaoh that there v/as a Hebrew servant in pris- 
on who could interpret dreams, and he related to 
Pharaoh the story of the butler and baker. 

115. Interpretation of PharaoWs dreams, — 
Pharaoh then sent to the prison, and Joseph was 
brought before him. Pharaoh told him his dreams. 
Joseph informed him that God had showed by 
these dreams what he was about to do. The sev- 
en good cows and the seven full ears of corn rep- 
resented seven fruitful years to come ; and the sev- 
en lean cows and seven thin ears represented sev- 
en years of famine which would follow. He then 
advised Pharaoh to make preparation for this dis- 
tressing event, by appointing a person to purchase 
grain, during the years of plenty and lay it up in 
stores. Pharaoh followed this advice, and ap- 
pointed Joseph to this office. He made him sec- 
ond to himself only in authority; gave him a ring 
from his finger, clothed him with ^n^ linen, and 
put a gold chain about his neck ; at the same time, 
he gave to him for a wife a daughter of the priest 
of On. 

116. Grain provided. — No sooner was Joseph 
appointed and duly honored, than he visited all 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 53 

parts of Egypt, collecting grain into store-houses 
or magazines. The seven years of plenty produ- 
duced grain in vast abundance, and4)y means of 
the provident care of Joseph, the stores were so 
well supplied that not only the inhabitants of 
Egypt, but some people of Canaan, were preserv- 
ed from perishing, and especially Jacob's family. 
We see, in these events, the wonderful providence 
of God, in making the cruel treatment of Joseph 
by his brethren, the means of saving all his father's 
family from destruction. 

Read the forty second chapt, of Genesis to verse 11. 

117. Jacoh sends to Egypt for grain, — When 
the famine became severe, the countries about 
Egypt were compelled to send to Egypt for a sup- 
ply of bread corn. This was the case with Jacob, 
who sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy grain ; 
keeping Benjamin only at home. When Joseph's 
brothers appeared before him, he knew them, but 
he was so much altered that they did not know him. 
Being resolved to humble them for the injury they 
had done him, he spoke roughly to them, asked 
them whence they came, pretended he did not be- 
lieve they came to buy food, but were spies who 
had come to see the nakedness of the land. They 
assured him in sincerity that they were no spies, 
but true men, the sons of one man, and that the 
youngest brother was left at home with their fa- 
ther. 

118. Policy of Joseph. — Joseph, pretending to 
prove their veracity, declared to them most posi- 
tively that they should not leave Egypt, until the 

5* 



54 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

youngest brother should come to him. To con- 
strain them to send for Benjamin, he put them in 
custody three days. At length he proposed that 
one of their number should be left in confinement, 
and that the others might return with grain to 
their father. They now began to reflect on their 
cruelty to Joseph, and acknowledged themselves 
guilty. Joseph heard their conversation, and his 
heart was moved, so that he turned aside and 
wept ; but he spoke to them by an interpreter, and 
did not yet reveal himself. 

119. Joseph's brethren at last consented to 
leave one of their number ; and Simeon was bound 
before their eyes, and detained as a hostage, to 
constrain them to bring Benjamin. Their sacks 
were then filled with grain, but Joseph would not 
take their money ; this he ordered to be put in 
their sacks, but without their knowledge. On their 
return, one of them, opening his sack, at an inn, 
discovered the money. At this they w^ere alarm- 
ed ; but. proceeding to Canaan, they related the 
w^iole story to their father, and requested that 
Benjamin might be sent to Egypt. At this Jacob 
was exceedingly grieved, and most feelingly said, 
'* Me ye have bereaved : Joseph is not, and Sim- 
eon is not; and ye will take away Benjamin : all 
these things are against me." Reuben assured his 
father that he would bring back Benjamin, but Ja- 
cob persisted in refusing to let him go, saying, 
" That if mischief should befall him, then would 
they bring down his gray hairs with sorrow to the 
grave." 



t^ALUE OF THE BIBLE. 55 



Read the forty third chapter of Genesis. 

120. Jacob sends again to Egypt. — When Ja- 
cob and his family had consumed their provisions, 
they were under the necessity of again resorting 
to Egypt for grain. The sons however declined 
going again to Egypt, unless they might take Ben- 
jamin with them, as the lord of the land told them 
not to see his face again, without Benjamin. At 
length Judah engaged to be surety for the return 
of Benjamin, and the sons all departed, with the 
prayers and blessing of their father, and bearing 
some presents, the fruits of the land. When they 
arrived in Egypt, Joseph treated them with great 
kindness, and ordered a dinner to be prepared for 
them. And now Joseph manifested his filial af- 
fection, for when he met his brethren, he inquired 
most affectionately of their w^elfare, and that of 
their father. With what tenderness he asked 
them concerning their father, " Is your father well, 
the old man of whom ye spoke ? Is he yet alive ?" 

121. Meeting of Joseph and Benjamin, — When 
Joseph saw Benjamin, he asked, " Is this your 
younger brother?" He was much affected at the 
sight of his brother, w^ho was his own mother's 
son ; and unable to repress and conceal his feel- 
ing, he retired into his chamber to indulge himself 
in weeping. After he had recovered himself, he 
appeared again, and ordered bread to be set before 
them. And here it is observable that provisions 
for Joseph, and for his brethren, and for the Egyp- 
tians, were set on separate tables, for the reason 
that Jacob and his sons were shepherds, and their 



56 VALUE or THE BIBLE. 

occupation was held in abhorrence by the Egyp- 
tians. It is to be observed also that the brothers 
were seated according to their birth or ages, and 
that Benjamin's mess was five times as much as 
that of the others. 

Read the forty fourth chapter of Genesis* 

122. Return of Jacoh^s 507?^.— After dinner, Jo- 
seph ordered the sacks to be filled, and the money 
to be put in the sack's mouth. He also ordered 
his steward to put his silver cup in Benjamin^s 
sack. The next morning the men departed. Be- 
fore they had proceeded far from the city, Joseph 
directed his steward to follow them. He obeyed, 
and overtaking them, he accused them of taking 
the silver cup wrongfully. They were astonished, 
for they did not know the cup was in the sack ; 
and they affirmed themselves to be innocent. They 
said also that the person with whom the cup should 
be found, should die ; and they all would be bond- 
men to Joseph. 

123. The cup found, — A search was made for 
the cup, and it was found in Benjamin's sack. At 
this discovery, they were confounded, and loading 
their beasts, they returned to the city, and threw 
themselves at the feet of Joseph, admitting them- 
selves to be guilty, and offering to become his ser- 
vants. But Joseph said. No : he only with whom 
the cup was found, shall be my servant ; the oth- 
ers may return in peace to your father. Judah, 
who had pledged himself that Benjamin should re- 
turn, now interceded with Joseph, and relating the 
whole story, ended by praying that he, Judah, 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 57 

might be detained, instead of Benjamin, to prevent 
the sufferings of his father, in case Benjamin should 
not return. 

124. Joseph makes himself known, — Joseph had 
now brought his brothers to a state of deep humil- 
iation ; and could no longer refrain from making 
himself known to them. He then ordered all per- 
sons, except his brothers, to leave the room ; and 
with tears in his eyes, said to them, "I am Jo- 
seph; doth my father yet live?" They were all 
strlick dumb by this disclosure ; and were greatly 
troubled. Joseph, to alleviate their distress, spoke 
to them with kindness ; inviting them to come 
near him, and saying, " I am Joseph your brother, 
■whom ye sold into Egypt. Be not grieved nor 
angry with yourselves ; for God sent me before 
you to preserve life. Five years are yet to come, 
in which there will be neither tillage nor harvest. 
God hath sent me before you to preserve for you 
a posterity on the earth, and to save your lives by 
a great deliverance." 

125. Joseph embraces his brethren, Joseph 

then told his brethren how he had been exalted, 
and urged them to return to tlTeir father in haste, 
and inform him of his son's prosperity and glory; 
then convey him to Egypt, where he should be sus- 
tained, with all his family. Joseph then fell upon 
his brother Benjamin's neck, and they both wept 
for joy. He then embraced all his brothers suc- 
cessively, and wept with them. After which they 
entered into a discourse together; and the report 
of these extraordinary events soon reached the 
ears of Pharaoh, who was pleased with the intelli- 
gence. 



58 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

120. Joseph sends for his father, — Pharaoh 
now united with Joseph in sending for Jacob and 
his family ; and Pharaoh and Joseph furnished 
wagons, and provisions, with presents of raiment 
and money. When Jacob was first informed that 
Joseph was living, and governor of Egypt, " his 
heart fainted ;" he could not believe the joyful 
news. But after hearing the message of Joseph, 
and seeing the wagons sent to convey him and his 
family to Egypt, his spirit revived, and he said, 
" It is enough : Joseph my son is yet alive : I will 
go and see him before I die." We can more ea- 
sily conceive than describe what must have been 
the sensations of good old Jacob, when he learned 
that his beloved son, Joseph, whom he had long 
supposed to be dead, was not only living, but actu- 
ally enjoying the highest dignity, next to the king, 
in Egypt. 

Read the forty sixth chapter of Genesis, 

127. Jacoh removes to Egypt* — Jacob now left 
Beersheba and went to Egypt, with all his family, 
his cattle and goods, and settled in Goshen, the 
territory allotted to him by Pharaoh. Here he 
was met by his son Joseph, who fell on his father's 
neck and wept a long time. Jacob was so much 
affected with joy, that he expressed a willingness 
to die. " Now let me die," said he, " since I have 
seen thy face, because thou art yet alive." When 
Jacob was introduced to Pharaoh, the king asked 
his age : Jacob informed him that he was one hun- 
dred and thirty years old, yet that his days had 
been iew and evil, and he had not reached the age 



VALUE OV THE BIBLE. 59 

of his fathers. Jacob then blessed Pharaoh, and 
left him. As Jacob was a shepherd, and his oc- 
cupation was odious to the Egyptians, Pharaoh as- 
signed to him and his family a distinct part of 
Egypt, the land of Goshen, for their residence. 

128. State of Egypt. — Jacob lived after he set- 
tled in Egypt seventeen years. The famine con- 
tinued during seven years, as Joseph had foretold, 
and was very distressing. The inhabitants were 
compelled to part with all their money, and at last 
sell their lands to Pharaoh to procure provisions. 
After the famine, Joseph furnished them with seed 
to sow their land, and reserved one fifth of the 
produce for Pharaoh. This became the establish- 
ed law of the land. 

Read the forty ninth chapter of Genesis. 

129. Jacoh\s death, — Jacob had now arrived to 
the age of one hundred and forty seven years, and 
the time of his death approaching, he gave his 
blessing to Joseph, and his two sons, Manasseh 
and Ephraim ; repeating to Joseph the promise 
which God had made to him at Luz, that his pos- 
terity should become a great multitude, and should 
possess the land of Canaan. He then pronounced 
a blessing on each of his sons, and predictions res- 
pecting their future condition ; charged them to 
bury him in the cave of Machpelah, where Abra- 
ham and Sarah, Rebekah and Leah, had been bu- 
ried ; and then expired. 



60 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



Read the fiftieth chapter of Genesis, 

130. Burial of Jacob : Death of Joseph. — Jo- 
seph ordered his physicians to embalm the body 
of his father, and the Egyptians mourned for Ja- 
cob seventy days. Joseph then obtained permis- 
sion from Pharaoh to go to Canaan for the pur- 
pose of burying his father ; and he and his family, 
and a great company of chariots and horsemen, 
proceeded to Canaan, and deposited the body by 
those of his ancestors, according to Jacob's direc- 
tions. 

After the death of Jacob, his sons were appre- 
hensive that Joseph v/ould "requite them with 
evil," for their cruelty in selling him ; and sent a 
message to him, supplicating his forgiveness. They 
even went and fell on tlieir knees, and offered to be- 
come his servants. Joseph was deeply affected, 
and v/ept ; but he soon quieted their fears, and told 
them that although they thought evil against him, 
yet God meant it for good, for the preservation of 
the whole family. Being thus tranquillized, they 
remained in peace. 

Joseph, at the age of a hundred and ten years, 
made his brethren take an oath to carry his bones 
from Egypt ; then died, and was embalmed. 

131. Reflections, — The story of Joseph is one 
of the most extraordinary, and most interesting, 
on record. It shows how wonderfully God brings 
about the great events of his moral government, 
not only by punishing the evil passions and wick- 
edness of men, but often by bringing good out of 
evil. Joseph's brothers intended to remove Jo- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 61 

seph forever from their sight ; they envied and 
hated him, because he was the favorite of his fa- 
ther ; but God meant that their inhuman and ma- 
liornant treatment shouhl be the means of preserv- 
ing their family from destruction. At the same 
time, in the course of events, the brothers were 
brought to see the extreme injustice and cruelty of 
their conduct, and to deep penitence ; while Jo- 
seph, who had been rejected and sold by his breth- 
ren, was protected and favored by God's provi- 
dence, and raised to the highest honors. 

Read the first and second chapters of Exodus. 

132. Condition of the Hebrews in Egypt, — 
The posterity of Jacob continued to dwell in 
Egypt, and in process of time they multiplied so 
as to constitute a considerable nation, but living as 
a distinct people. Their increase excited the ap- 
prehensions of the king of Egypt, that they would 
become more powerful than his own people, and 
might, in war, unite with the enemies of Egypt, 
and leave the country. To check their multipli- 
cation, and keep them in subjection, he placed task- 
masters over them, and reduced them to severe 
bondage ; compelling them to make brick and 
build cities, and even to make brick without straw, 
for straw was used in mortar, when the bricks 
were not baked by heat, but dried in the sun. So 
the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve 
with rigor. 

133. Birth and fate of Moses. — To check the 
multiplication of the children of Israel, the king 
commanded the midwives to destroy all the male 

6 



62 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

infants as soon as they were born, but not the fe* 
males. To this order they did not yield obedi- 
ence. In this state of things Moses was born, and 
being a goodly child, his mother concealed him 
three months, that he might not be put to death* 
When she could no longer conceal him, she made 
an ark or little vessel of bulrushes, and placed it 
among the flags, by the river. But a daughter of 
Pharaoh, the king, discovered it, took the child, 
and knew it to be one of the Hebrew children. 
The child cried, and she had compassion on it, and 
sent for a nurse, who proved to be the child's 
mother. After the child was weaned, the nurse 
presented him to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted 
him as her son. She called him Moses, that is, 
drawn out of the water. Being then educated ifl 
the royal family, Moses had an opportunity to ob- 
tain all the learning of Egypt, which he could not 
have done among his brethren, the Israelites. 

134. Moses flees from Egypt, — When forty 
years of age, Moses, who was a witness of the op- 
pressions suffered by his people, saw an Egyptian 
beating a Hebrew ; and Moses looking about him, 
and seeing no person in sight, killed the Egyptian. 
But on the following day, he found that this thing 
was known, and Pharaoh was seeking to kill Mo- 
ses. Moses then fled from Egypt, and dwelt in 
Midian. Having an opportunity to assist the 
daughters of the priest of Midian, in watering their 
father's flock, the father invited him to his house, 
and Moses resided there, and married Zipporah 
his daughter. This woman was a Cushite, belong- 
ing to a tribe of Arabians. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 63 



Read the third chapter of Exodus, 

135. Moses called by God to deliver the Israel- 
ites, — Moses was employed as the keeper of the 
flocks of his father in law, Jethro. Being in the 
desert near Horeb, one of the cluster of mountains, 
called Sinai, an angel of the Lord appeared to him 
in a flame of fire, which appeared to be a burning 
bush, but the bush was not consumed. Moses 
turned to see this unusual sight, and God called 
to him from the bush, and directed him to put oflf 
his shoes, for the ground where he stood was holy. 
He then informed Moses that he was the God of 
his fathers ; that he had seen the affliction of his 
people in Egypt, and had appeared for their deliv- 
erance ; saying that he intended to send Moses to 
conduct them from Egypt to Canaan, a land of 
great fertility. Moses intimated his weakness and 
inability to perform this service. But God assu- 
red him of his aid, and then revealed himself by 
his peculiar title, i am that i am, the self-exist- 
ent Jehovah, and directed Moses to say to his 
brethren, *' i am, hath sent me to you." 

Read the fourth chapter of Exodus. 

136. Sig7is to confirm the mission of Moses, — 
Moses made objections to undertaking the deliver- 
ance of his brethren, but God overruled them, 
and gave him signs by which his divine mission 
would be proved. First, a rod which he had in 
his hand was thrown upon the ground, and it was 
changed into a serpent, which, when taken by the 



64 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

tail, was again turned into a rod. Next, he was 
directed to put his hand in liis bosom, and it be- 
came leprous; but on being directed to do the same 
thing again, it was restored to soundness. Moses 
was told that these signs would convince his breth- 
ren of his divine authority to lead them out of 
Egypt. Moses still objected that he was not elo- 
quent; but God was displeased with his reluctance 
and intimated to him that his brother Aaron should 
be his assistant, and both should have instruction 
from God how to conduct this enterprise. 

137. Moses returns to Egypt. — Moses now ob- 
tained permission from Jethro, to return to Egypt; 
and he and his wife and sons returned. On his 
way, in the wilderness, Aaron, by divine direction, 
met his brother, Moses, and Moses communicated 
to him what God had commanded him to do. 
They then went to their brethren and communica- 
ted to them the directions of God, and performed 
the signs before mentioned in their presence. The 
people believed, and manifested their joy and ac- 
quiesence by acts of reverence. 

Read the fifth chapter of Exodus* 

138. Moses and Aaron a])ply to Pharaoh, — Mo- 
ses and Aaron, as they had been commanded by 
God, applied to Pharaoh to let the Israelites de- 
part from Egypt. Pharaoh replied '* who is Je- 
hovah, that I should obey his voice to let Israel 
go ! I know not Jehovah, neither will I let Israel 
go." Instead of granting relief, he increased the 
burdens of the Israelites, so that they complained 
of Moses and Aaron, for having, by their petitions 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 65 

to Pharaoh, been the means of making them more 
odious, and of increasing their oppressions. 

Read the sixth chapter of Exodus^ (^c. 

139. The first plague. — God now revealed him- 
self to Moses by his appropriate name Jehovah, 
and promised deliverance to the Israelites. He 
also promised to bring them to the land of Ca- 
naan, and to take them for his peculiar people, and 
to be their God. Moses and Aaron then appeared 
before Pharaoh, to petition for the release of their 
brethren ; and Pharaoh required a miracle from 
Moses and Aaron. This was performed, for Aaron, 
cast down hiis rod and it became a serpent in Pha- 
raoh's presence. Then Pharaoh called the sorce- 
rers, and they cast down their rods, which became 
serpents ; but Aaron's rod swallowed the others. 
Still Pharaoh would not let the people go. But 
God now proceeded to manifest his power in bring- 
ing severe calamities upon Egypt. First by divine 
direction, Aaron stretched a rod over the waters of 
Egypt, and they were turned to blood, the fishes 
in the river died and the water becam.e so foul that 
it could not be drank. 

140. Other plagues. — But Pharaoh hardened 
his heart and refused to let the people go. Then 
other plagues followed — frogs in such numbers as 
to enter the houses and kneading troughs — then 
the dust of the earth was turned into lice — then 
swarms of flies — then a murrain among the cattle 
destroyed those which belonged to the Egyptians, 
but not those belonging to the Israelites — then 
boils and blains upon the Egyptians — then a griev- 
es 



66 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

Oils storm of hail — ^then swarms of locusts which 
devoured every green herb — then a darkness of 
three days, darkness that could be felt — and lastly 
the death of all the first born among the Egyp- 
tians. This last judgment compelled Pharaoh to 
consent to the departure of the Israelites. 

141. The passover institvted, — God determin- 
ing to destroy the first born of the Egyptians, but 
to preserve the Israelites, directed Moses and Aa- 
ron to instruct the children of Israel to take for each 
family, a lamb, and kill it on the fourteenth day of 
the month Abib, and sprinkle some of the blood on 
the side posts and lintel of their doors ; that when 
the destroying angel was executing on the Egyp- 
tians, the divine purpose of killing the first born, 
he might see the blood on the doors of the Is- 
raelites, and pass over their houses, without inju- 
ry. This was the origin of the Passover, a feast 
observed by the Israelites to this day. On this oc- 
casion, they eat unleavened bread, as a memorial 
of the haste with which their forefathers ate it, 
when they departed from Egypt. The practice of 
keeping the passover by the Jews in all ages to 
this day, is a convincing proof of the truth of the 
scriptures. 

142. Departure of the Israelites from Egypt. — 
Before the Israelites left Egypt they were directed 
to borrow or ask from the Egyptians jewels of sil- 
ver and gold. This was done, and the favor was 
granted. The Israelites then took their dough 
and kneading troughs upon their shoulders, and 
marched from Egypt towards the Red Sea. Their 
number was six hundred thousand men besides 
children ; and there was with them a mixed multi- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 67 

tude, and flocks and herds. This departure or ex- 
odus of the Israelites was four hundred and thirty 
years, after the calling of Abraham to leave his na- 
tive land. Moses took with him the bones of Jo- 
seph, as he had directed. The Israelites were 
guided by a pillar of a cloud by day, and a pillar 
of fire by night, manifesting the presence of God. 

143. Destruction of the Egyj)tia7is. — No soon- 
er had the Israelites left Egypt, than Pharaoh was 
informed of it, and he resolved to pursue them, 
and for this purpose collected all his forces and 
chariots. This army overtook the Israelites near 
the Red Sea, and they were terrified ; and began 
to upbraid Moses for conducting them from Egypt. 
But Moses directed them to be tranquil, for they 
would be delivered from the danger. Being com- 
manded by God, Moses lifted his rod over the sea, 
and the water receded by a strong east wind, and 
left the bottom dry, so that the Israelites marched 
over in safety. Pharaoh' and his army followed 
them, but while they were in the channel, the sea 
returned, and overwhelmed the w hole army in one 
general ruin. 

Read the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of Ex- 
odus, 

144. Journey of the Israelites — quails and Man- 
na. — On the occasion of this wonderful deliver- 
ance, Moses and the children of Israel sang prais- 
es to God, being joined by Miriam, Aaron's sister 
and other females with timbrels and dances. The 
Israelites then proceeded towards mount Sinai, but 
being in want of provision, they murmured against 



68 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

Moses and Aaron, charging them with leading 
them into the wilderness to kill them with hunger. 
To relieve their wants, God caused an abundance 
of quails to come up, and the camp was covered 
with them; and in the morning, when the i\e\v was 
evaporated, the ground was covered with a sub- 
stance like small round seeds. Tliis they called 
Manna, and with this species of food were the Is- 
raelites supplied, during their journey in the wil- 
derness. This was a special provision for the peo- 
ple of God, in a barren wilderness, where no hu- 
man means could furnish the necessary food for 
such a host. 

Read the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of 
Exodus. 

145. Water from a rock, — Proceeding on their 
march, the Israelites arrived at Rephidim, where 
they suffered by thirst, and they murmured against 
Moses. But Moses cried to God, and God direc- 
ted him to go forward to Horeb, and strike a rock 
with his rod. This command was obeyed, and 
water in abundance gushed out of the rock. At 
this place the Amalekites attacked the Israelites, 
but Joshua, their general, defeated ihem. 

At this place also, Moses was visited by his fa- 
ther in law, Jethro, and by his wife and his sons, 
whom Moses had sent back, to Midian. When 
Jethro saw and heard what God had done for the 
Israelites, he blessed God, and acknowledged Je- 
hovah lo be greater than all gods. Seeing the 
great labors of Moses in judging the people, he 
advised him to select persons, able men^ men of 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 69 

truths fearing God and hating covetoiisness, to 
act as subor(]inate judges in small causes. This 
advice Moses followed, and relieved himself from 
much of his labor. 

Read the nineteenth chapter of Exodus. 

146. Arrival of the Israelites at Sinai, — The 
Israelites now moved forward tow^ards Mount Si- 
nai, and encamped near the mount. As God was 
about to give to them and to the world the moral 
law, or substance of all rules for the government 
of mankind, and to accompany this great event 
with extraordinary displays of his power and glory, 
he commanded that the people should not approach 
the mountain, but remain in their encampment. 
A line was drawn to prevent access, and the peo- 
ple stood at the foot of the mountain. The Lord 
then descended upon the mount with great majes- 
ty, amidst thunderings and lightnings, and a thick 
cloud, which filled the Israelites with terror and 
amazement. God then called Moses to the top of 
the mountain and communicated to him his w411 in 
Ten Commandments. 

Read the Ten Commandwents, from the twentieth 
chapter of Exodus, 

147. The Ten Commandments. — The first com- 
mandment forbids us to have any other God, be- 
fore Jehovah. It forbids the worship of any 
and every other being. The first and highest 
duty of men is to revernce, worship and obey 
the only true God. Men are prone to consider 



70 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

their social duties to their fellow men as the first 
in importance, and all that are necessary to be ob« 
served in order to secure God's favor. This is a 
pernicious mistake, and probably the ruin of mill- 
ions of the human race. Supreme love to God, 
and reverence for his character, and laws, is the 
first duty of men, and the true source of all other 
duties. Obedience to God's laws, to be genuine, 
must spring from love to him; and a conformity to 
his character is that which constitutes excellence 
in human character, 

148. Second commandment,— The second com- 
mandment forbids the making and worshiping of 
images, statues or any likeness of any created 
thing in heaven or on the earth. This practice of 
worshiping images, pictures or other created things 
is the idolatry of heathen nations, which the scrip- 
tures pointedly condemn. It was the besetting sin 
of the Jews, who often relapsed into the worship 
of the sun, moon and stars, or of other created 
things ; and for this they were often punished with 
terrible judgments. It is still the sin of a large 
part of the human race. Men, ignorant of the 
true God, bow down to stocks and stones and to 
images of brute animals. We are astonished at 
such stupidity. But christians are not always free 
from another species of idolatry. They are often 
so much devoted to pleasure, to wealth, or to fash- 
ion, that they prefer them to the service of God, 
and are guilty of idolatry. 

149. Third Cow.mandment. — The third com- 
mandment forbids the profane use of God's name, 
that is, profane swearing. This prohibition ex- 
tends to the irreverent use of God's name in any 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 71 

transaction in life. It is a common sin as vulgar 
as it is wicked, to the shame of civilized and chris- 
tian people, be it told. It is a mischievous evil, 
for it offends God, and leads to habitual contempt 
of his authority. How base and ungrateful must 
be the person who can revile and abuse a parent, 
or treat his name and character with contempt 1 
how much more base and wicked must be the man 
who can treat with contempt the great and good 
being to whom he owes his life, his faculties, and 
all his enjoyments, and without whose constant 
sustaining care, he would instantly sink into the 
grave ! 

150. Fourth Commandment. — The fourth com- 
mandment requires us to remember the Sabbath 
and keep it holy. It enjoins upon us to labor and 
do all our work in six days; but to rest on the sev- 
enth day, for it is the sabbath of Jehovah, the true 
God ; and this is one primary reason assigned, 
that God, in six days, created the heaven and 
earth and all that they contain ; but that he rested 
on the seventh day and blessed and hallowed it. 
After the resurrection of Christ, his followers kept 
and still keep the first day of the week as the 
sabbath instead of the seventh, in commemoration 
of the resurrection of our Savior. The Jews who 
do not believe in Christ, still observe the seventh 
day or Saturday. The sabbath is by God's express 
command, to be observed as holy time, when all 
unnecessary temporal employments, work, busi- 
ness and amusements, are to cease, and the day 
is to be consecrated to the worship and service of 
God. Rest for one day in seven is useful for re- 
freshing man and beast ; the sacred observance of 



73 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

the sabbath as holy time is among the best sup- 
ports of Christianity ; and the practice of Christian 
principles is not only the means of final salvation, 
but the best means of securing safety and happi- 
ness in this life. 

151. Fifth Commandmeni. — " Honor thy father 
and thy mother," is the fifth commandment, and 
accompanied with the promise of long life. This 
precept is of great concern in society. Children 
are, by their creator, made subject to their pa- 
rents, during infancy and childhood, while they 
have not knowledge and experience to govern 
themselves in the best manner ; and while they 
look to their parents for support. As the charac- 
ters of men are formed in early life, the obedience 
of children to their parents is not only most impor- 
tant to their own welfare, but also to the peace and 
good order of society. Ill-governed, rude, refrac- 
tory children are often the pests of society ; they 
are rough, vicious companions and turbulent citi- 
zens. No small part of the vices and disorders of 
society, personal enmities, quarrels and lawsuits, 
originate in the wrong or defective government of 
families. The kind, obedient, modest, well disci- 
plined child makes a friendly companion, a good 
father or mother, and a peaceable citizen. This 
command includes doubtless the duty of paying all 
proper respect to other superiors in age and au- 
thority. 

152. Sixth Commandment. — This command, 
" Thou shalt not kill," is of great extent in its 
application. It forbids not only murder, which is 
a pre-meditated, malicious killing, but all homi- 
cide or manslaughter, either by direct or indirect 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 73 

means, except in pursuance of law, or in necessa- 
ry self-defense. Life is the gift of God, and no 
man has a right take it from another ; nor has a 
person a right to destroy his own life. Suicide is 
self-murder. Nor have we a right to do what we 
know tends to the destruction of life. On the con- 
trary, we are required to take all suitable means to 
preserve life and health, that we may be useful to 
our families, and friends and to society. We have 
no right to injure ourselves by excess of labor ot 
of indulgence ; nor to expose ourselves without 
necessity to extreme danger. 

153. Seventh Commandment. — This command 
not to commit adultery implies a prohibition of all 
illegal intercourse between the sexes ; that is, all 
carnal commerce, except between persons lawfully 
married. The sins forbidden in this command- 
ment produce most extensive misery and calami- 
ties in society. The peace of families is often de- 
stroyed, and thousands and millions of persons, 
especially females, are doomed to infamy in this 
life, and to eternal destruction in the life to come. 
The seducer incurs nearly the same guilt as the 
murderer; and although the laws of men do not 
punish the crime with like severity, yet his con- 
science, if he is not abandoned by God, must har- 
row up his soul with perpetual remorse. 

154. Eighth Commandment. — " Thou shall not 
steal" is a brief commandment ; but of most ex- 
tensive application. Stealing, in law% is the ta- 
king from another secretly some of his property, 
with a felonious intent, or intent to defraud. This 
a common crime, punishable by the courts of law. 
But this commandment extends to prohibit every 
7 



74 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

species of cheating and fraud; every art by which 
property is gained from another, without his con- 
sent, or without a just consideration. It forbids all 
deception in contracts of bargain and sale : all un- 
due advantage taken of another's ignorance of the 
value or good condition of property ; all withhold- 
ing from another what is his lawful due ; all pec- 
ulation and embezzlement of property intrusted 
to one's care ; and all robbery and piracy. 

155. Ninth Commandment. — This command 
forbids the giving of false testimony. It is espe- 
cially appropriate to the testimony given by wit- 
nesses ilk courts of law, which should always be 
strictly according to truth. Witnesses in courts 
are obliged to take an oath that they will tell the 
truth and the truth only. But the command extends 
to prohibit all falsehood in declaration, and also 
all deceptive actions, that may injure another, by 
leading him into a snare. Lying and falsehood are 
mean as well as pernicious vices. The liar may 
injure others; but he is sure to injure himself. He 
loses the confidence of those who knuw him ; he 
is suspected, and shunned. But one of the most 
detestable characters is the defamer; one who slan- 
ders his neighbor. He is a pest in society. He 
destroys reputation which is as dear to men as life. 

156. Tenth Commandment, — The tenth com- 
mandment forbids the coveting of other men's 
goods and enjoyments. This vice proceeds from 
envy, avarice or lust ; it implies discontent with 
the allotments of providence, or with one's own 
condition ; and often leads men to deeds of the 
foulest injustice. It is our duty to be contented 
with our lot, and not to repine, at the success, hap- 
piness and enjoyments of others. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 75 

157. Reflections, — These are the Ten Com- 
mandincnts^ written with the finger of God, on 
two tables of stone, and delivered to Moses, for 
the direction of the Israelites. They are the ba- 
sis of the whole moral law, which is binding upon 
us and upon the whole world of mankind. A just 
understanding of them, in all their applications, 
gives us a knowledge of what God requires of men, 
as their duties to him, and to their fellow men. 
Jesus Christ has given a summary of these du- 
ties in the following words : "Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy 
soul, and with all thy mind." 

This is the first and great commandment. And 
the second is like it ; " Thou shalt love thy neigh- 
bor as thyself. On these two commandments hang 
all the law and the prophets." Math. 22. 

Read the twenty third chapter of Exodus to the 
thirty second verse. 

158. Laws given, — After the ten command- 
ments were given, Moses proceeded, by divine 
direction, to communicate to the Israelites a va- 
riety of special laws for regulating their con- 
duct. Many of these laws are of general applica- 
tion to mankind, and have been made the basis of 
the laws in modern christian countries. Besides 
these, a particular ritual was prescribed for the 
Jews, with numerous ceremonies and sacrifices, 
which are supposed to be typical of the great sac- 
rifice of Christ. For the performance of these 
rites and ceremonies, an order of priests was es- 
tablished, and the tribe of Levi consecrated to that 



76 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

office. At the head of the priesthood was Aaron, 
the elder brother of Moses. This ritual law has 
been abolished by the gospel. 

159. The molten calf. — Moses continued upon 
mount Sinai, forty days, and until his absence crea- 
ted disaffection among the people. They thought 
Moses had forsaken them, and requested Aaron to 
make for them gods to be their conductors. Ac- 
cordingly Aaron called for their golden ear-rings 
and made them into the image of a calf, and said 
to tlie people " These are thy gods, O Israel, which 
brought thee out of the land of Egypt." 

This is a remarkable example of the fickleness 
and levity of the Jews. They had repeatedly 
promised to yield obedience to Jehovah, but sud- 
denly they apostatized, and procured a golden calf 
for their leader ; and to this calf they offered burnt 
offerings and brought peace offerings. 

160. Conduct of Moses on this occasion, — Mo- 
ses being informed by God of the sin of the Isra- 
elites, and commanded to go down from the mount, 
interceded for the people, that they might not be 
destroyed. He then took in his hands the two ta- 
bles of stone, containing the Ten Commandments, 
and went down and as he approached the camp, 
his ears were saluted with the shouts of the Israel- 
ites who were singing and rejoicing in honor of the 
calf. This roused his anger and he cast the stones 
from his hands and they were broken. He then 
burnt and reduced to powder the golden calf and 
strewed the dust upon the water and made the 
people drink it. He then called together those 
who were on the side of Jehovah, and the sons of 
Levi assembled, and slew of the revolters about 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 77 

three thousand men. Thus was the idolatry of the 
Israelites suppressed. 

Read the thirteenth chapter of Numbers. 

IGl. Spies sent to explore Canaan* — While the 
Israelites were at Paran, Moses, by divine com- 
mand, sent twelve men, one of each tribe, to ex- 
plore the land of Canaan ; to see the quality of 
the land, and the condition of the inhabitants. 
These men accordingly proceeded and examined 
the country, and returned, bearing between two of 
them, a branch with a cluster of grapes and some 
figs and pomegranates. They reported that the 
land was good, '' flowing with milk and honey," 
and presented a sample of its fertility in the clus- 
ter of grapes. But they said the inhabitants were 
strong, among them were giants and their cities 
were walled up to heaven, and thus they discoura- 
ged the Israelites from attempting to conquer the 
country. But Caleb and Joshua opposed this rep- 
resentation, and encouraged the people to go im- 
mediately and take possession of the land. These 
two men were therefore permitted to enter the land 
of Canaan, while all who rebelled against God's 
will by their timidity, were doomed to perish in 
the wilderness. 

Read the sixteenth chapter of Numbers. 

162. Rebellion of Korah, ^-c— While the Is- 
raelites were in the Wilderness, Korah, the son of 
Levi, Dathan, Abiram and On, with two hundred 
and fifty princes or chief men arose against Mo- 



78 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

ses and Aaron, and accused them of arrogating to 
themselves too much power by exalting themselves 
above the congregation, who, they alledged, were 
all holy. They manifested the same jealousy of 
greatness in others, and the same leveling disposi- 
tion which has characterized people in every age 
and nation. Moses expostulated with them for not 
being contented with their station, inserving the tab- 
ernacle, and for aspiring to the priesthood. They, 
on their part, accused Moses of not making good 
his promise to bring them to a land flowing with 
milk and honey, but exposing them to perish 
in the desert. But God punished Korah and his 
company ; for the earth opened and swallowed 
them up, and all their possessions. A fire also 
fell upon the two hundred and fifty accomplices 
and consumed them. 

Read the thirty fourth chapter of Deuteronom.y. 

163. The Israelites proceed towards Canaan, — 
The Israelites were forty years in the wilderness, 
in which time, Moses, by God's command, gave 
them laws and instituted rites many of which their 
descendants observe at this day. This fact is full 
proof of the truth of the scriptures, respecting 
that nation. It is to be remarked that in conse- 
quence of the rebellious conduct of the Israelites, 
they were condemned by God to perish in the wild- 
erness, and all the generation died on the way, ex- 
cept Joshua and Caleb, who did not rebel. When 
the Israelites came into the land of Moab, near the 
Jordan, Moses recapitulated to them the laws, pre- 
cepts and instructions he had given them, giving 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 79 

them his last charge, then ascended mount Nebo, 
to the top of Pisgah, surveyed the surrounding 
country which the Israelites were to possess, and 
then died, and was buried in a valley in the land 
of Moab. The Israelites mourned for him thirty 
days. He was succeeded by Joshua, a distin- 
guished warrior, who headed their armies in the 
conquest of Canaan. 

Read the first and second chapters of Joshua. 

164. Spies sent, — After the death of Moses, God 
commanded Joshua to go over the Jordan, prom- 
ising to him success in conquering Canaan, and 
enjoining upon him courage and a strict observ- 
ance of the laws of Moses. Accordingly Joshua 
directed the people to make provision for subsist- 
ence. He then sent two men as spies to explore 
the land on the v/est of the Jordan, even Jericho. 
These men went and took lodgings with Rahab ; 
and the king seeking to take them, they were con- 
cealed by her and preserved. She exacted from 
them a promise, that when the city should be de- 
stroyed by the Israelites, she and her father's fam- 
ily should be saved ; and then let them down by a 
cord through a window, for her house was on the 
wall of the city. The spies returned and told 
Joshua that the Lord had delivered the land into 
their hands, for the inhabitants were disheartened 
at their approach. 

Read the third and fourth chapters of Joshua, 

165. The Israelites pass over the Jordan. — 
Joshua now gave direction to the people to pre- 



80 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

pare to pass over the Jordan, The priests were 
commanded to bear the ark, and go before the mul- 
titude, who were to follow at the distance of two 
thousand cubits. The season for passing the river 
was the spring, when the river was swelled, and 
its banks overflowed by the waters from the melt- 
ing of snow on the mountains of Lebanon. This 
was in April, which was then the time of harvest, 
as it is still in that country. When the priests, 
bearing the ark of the covenant, came to the riv- 
er, and their feet touched the water, the river part- 
ed ; and a passage was opened for the Israelites to 
march over the channel on dry ground. For a 
memorial of this remarkable event, Joshua direct- 
ed twelve men to take each a stone from the bot- 
tom of the river, and set them up, that their pos- 
terity might know the place in after ages. The 
Israelites kept the passover on the fourteenth day 
of Abib, and then the manna ceased to be given to 
them. 

166. Destruction of Jericho, — The Israelites 
now proceeded to the conquest of the land of Ca- 
naan, and in this there occurred some remarkable 
interpositions of providence. According to divine 
directions, the Israelites passed round Jericho once 
a day for six days, the priests bearing the ark, and 
seven trumpets of ram's horns. On the seventh v 
day, this was repeated seven times, and then the 
people, as directed, gave a great shout, the walls 
of the city fell to the ground ; and the city was ta- 
ken, and all that was in it was destroyed, both the 
people, the cattle and the goods. But Rahab and 
her family were preserved, as the spies had prom- 
ised. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 81 

167. Destruction of Ai. — The city of Ai was ta- 
ken by stratagem. At first Joshua sent a small ar- 
my against the city, about three thousand men ; 
and when the men of Ai came out to fight with 
them, they fled, and some of them were killed. At 
this ill success, the hearts of the people fainted, 
and Joshua rent his clothes, fell on his face, and 
complained to the Lord. But God reproved him 
for being disheartened ; telling him that Israel had 
sinned by stealing some of the spoil. To detect 
the thief, a lot was taken ; first, of the tribes, and 
then of the families in each ; and at length the 
criminal was found to be Achan, who had taken a 
Babylonish garment, a wedge of gold and some 
silver. For this crime Achan and all his family 
were put to death, and his property burnt. The 
wrath of God being appeased, Joshua was com- 
manded to subdue Ai, and for this purpose he 
placed five thousand men in ambush. When the 
main army of Joshua was attacked, they retreated, 
as if they had been defeated, and drew the men of 
Ai from the city ; then the troops rose from the 
ambush, entered the city, and set it on fire. So 
the city was destroyed, and the inhabitants slain. 

168. Policy of the Giheonites, The sun stands 
still, — The inhabitants of Canaan were now alarm- 
ed for their safety. To prevent being destroyed, 
the Gibeonites equipped thems;elves in old and tat- 
tered garments, and patched shoes, and presented 
themselves before Joshua, pretending they had 
come from a great distance, because of the name of 
the Lord, and proposed to make a treaty of peace 
with him. Joshua consented, and m.ade a league 
with them. In three days, Joshua was informed 



83 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

of their stratagem, and found the Gibeonites were 
from the neighborhood. He then took posses- 
sion of their cities ; but as he had made a league 
with them, he would not destroy them. He there- 
fore made them bondmen, hewers of wood and 
drawers of water. 

Soon after this, the king of Jerusalem, and other 
kings of the Amorites, combined their forces to re- 
sist the Israelites. But the Lord was with them, 
and the Israelites defeated their armies with great 
slaughter. It was on this occasion that the sun 
and moon were arrested, and " hasted not to set 
about a whole day." This was a most extraordi- 
nary interposition of God for the safety of his cho- 
sen people. 

169. Reflections, — Men, at this day, are apt to 
disbelieve the scriptures, which record miracles, 
or supernatural events. They suppose it incredi- 
ble that God should have exerted his power in a 
miraculous way, in former times, when we see no 
such miracles in modern times. But we may ra- 
tionally suppose God always employs the means 
necessary to accomplish his purposes, whether the 
means are common or unusual ; and it is no more 
improbable that he should by miracles save Israel, 
the nation which he intended to be the deposita- 
ries of his laws, than that he should make man at 
first by a direct act of his own power, independent 
of other means. His ordinary course of proceed- 
ing in the natural and moral world is by uniform 
laws, or his uniform agency in the use of means. 
But his power is not limited, and he may exert a 
direct power, without means, in preserving and 
governing the world, as he did in creating ii. In- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 83 

deed we may perhaps consider the constant pre- 
servation of the world to be by as direct an agency 
of supernatural power, as the first creation. 

170. Evidence of the truth of the scriptures, — 
In the history of the Israelites, we have some stri- 
king evidences of the truth of that history, in the 
geographical accounts of Egypt and Syria or Ca- 
naan. The prominent places described in the first 
books of the Bible, remain in the same state, as 
when the Israelites were conducted from Egypt. 
The river Euphrates, the deserts of Syria and Ara- 
bia, the Jordan, the Nile or river of Egypt, mount 
Sinai in Arabia, the mountains of Lebanon, the 
Red Sea, are all permanent objects, and they re- 
main to this day, as they are represented to have 
been in the days of Moses. Many names of places 
have continued to this day unchanged ; the pro- 
duce of the countries is the same, and the time of 
harvest. We have then, in the permanent laws of 
nature, and in the permanent rivers, mountains 
and deserts, as well as in the continuance of Da- 
mascus and other cities, demonstrative proof that 
the scriptures are true, as far as they describe these 
pern^anent objects. Then why should we doubt 
the correctness of the history, in the narrative of 
miraculous or supernatural events, when related 
by the same writers ; writers whose veracity is 
proved by present incontestible evidence ? When 
' we have proof before our eyes that they have writ- 
ten the truth in one part of their history, we liave 
^no reason to question the truth of what they have 
.written in other narratives. 



84 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



Read the twenty third and twenty fourth chapters 
of Joshua. 

171. Death of Joshua, — After the Israelites had 
subdued many of the nations of Canaan, they en- 
joyed along period of peace under the administra- 
tion of Joshua. When he had become old, and 
was near his end, he called together the elders, 
judges and officers, and after recapitulating before 
them the most remarkable events in their history, 
he enjoined upon them to adhere strictly to the 
laws of Moses, and to the worship of Jehovah. 
He admonished them to put away the gods which 
their fathers had served on the other side of the 
flood, [the river Euphrates,] and to serve Jeho- 
vah. He assured them that obedience and the ser- 
vice of the true God would bring them prosper- 
ity ; and apostasy would bring upon them various 
calamities. But whatever might be their determi- 
nation, he resolved that he and his house would 
serve Jehovah. 

Joshua then died, at the age of a hundred and 
ten years, and was buried on mount Ephraim. The 
bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought 
from Egypt they buried in Shechem. 

172. Events that followed the death of Joshua. — 
The scriptures inform us that Israel served Jeho- 
vah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the 
elders who outlived Joshua, and who had known 
or been witnesses of the works which the Lord 
had performed in favor of his people. After that, 
the Israelites forsook the God who had thus far 
been their guide and protector, and relapsed into 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. »5 

idolatry. They adopted the gods of the pagan 
nations around them, and bowed down to stocks 
and stones. The consequence was, God forsook 
them, and suffered them frequentry to be harassed 
and plundered by their enemies. Having no set- 
tled form of government, no king, and no regular 
mode of appointing or choosing a chief magistrate, 
they depended on judges or distinguished men, 
who were occasionally raised up by providence 
for their deliverance. In this condition the Isra- 
elites continued about four hundred and fifty years* 
Acts 13: 20. 

Among the judges was Samson, a man of extra- 
ordinary strength, who tore in pieces a young lion ; 
who slew a thousand Philistines with the jaw bone 
of an ass ; and who, when his enemies were col- 
lected on a house to see him make sport, pulled 
down the pillars, and the house fell and buried 
three thousand men and women in its ruins* 

I. Samuel, chapters 1 — 5* 

173. Birth and character of Samuel. — The last 
and one of the most distinguished of the judges, 
was Samuel, the prophet. This man was the son 
of Eikanah, by his wife Hannah, and a child grant- 
ed to her prayers. This man, when young, min- 
istered to the Lord before Eli, the priest; and on 
one occasion, being asleep, God called to him by 
name. Samuel answered and ran to Eli, suppo- 
sing he had called him, but being informed he had 
not, he again lay down to sleep. This was re- 
peated three times, before Eli discovered the truth, 
that God had called Samuel. At length Samuel 
8 



88 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

answered the Lord, and was informed that the Lord 
intended to execute vengeance on two sons of Eli, 
who were very wicked. This threat was soon ex- 
ecuted, for the two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, 
were slain by the Philistines, who attacked the 
Israelites and took the ark of the covenant from 
their camp. Eli, though a good man himself, had 
not been faithful to restrain his sons from their 
evil practices, and they became very vile. When 
Eli was informed of their death, he fell backward 
from his seat, his neck was broke, and he died. 



I. Samuel^ chapter 8. 



174. — The Israelites request a king, — Samuel 
judged Israel all his days ; but in his old age, his 
sons, who were judges in Beer-sheba, were guilty 
of mal -administration in taking bribes and pervert- 
ing judgment. The people were now weary of a 
wicked and unsettled government; and the elders 
of Israel assembled and came to Samuel in Ramah, 
and represented to him that his sons '' walked not 
in his ways ;" that is, their administration was 
corrupt : they therefore desired Samuel " to make 
them a king to judge them like all the nations." 
On this occasion, Samuel was displeased, but with 
the spirit of true piety, had recourse to the Lord by 
prayer; an excellent example for all good men in 
doubts and difficulties. The Lord said to him, 
♦' The people have not rejected thee^ but they have 
rejected me, that I should not rule over them." 
Samuel was directed, however, to hearken to 
them ; yet to protest against their design, and to 
show them how a king would treat them. 



I 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 87 

175. Saw ueV s prediction, — Samuel, as God had 
directed, told the Israelites bow a king would con- 
duct himself towards them ; that he would take 
their sons for his service, for horsemen, for char- 
iots and for footmen ; for captains of thousands 
and of fifties ; for laborers to till his ground, to 
reap his harvest, and to make instruments of war 
and other utensils ; that he would take their daugh- 
ters for cooks, confectioneries and bakers; that he 
would take their fields, vineyards and olive-yards 
for his servants, and the tenth of their seed and 
vineyards for his ofiicers and servants, and take 
their servants and beasts for his work. He added, 
they would murmur and complain of such oppres- 
sion. But this representation did not satisfy them ; 
they still insisted on having a king, like other na- 
tions, to judge them, and to lead their armies. And 
God directed Samuel to comply with their wishes. 

I. Samuely chapter 9. 

176. Saul anointed king. — The person desig- 
nated by God to be the first king of Israel was 
Saul, the son of Kish, a man of wealth. This man 
was sent by his father to seek some beasts which 
had strayed and were lost. When seeking for 
them, Saul inquired for a seer, to inform him 
where he should find the beasts, and he was direct- 
ed by some maidens to Samuel. On meeting Saul, 
Samuel was informed by God that this was the 
man destined to reign over Israel. Samuel an- 
nounced to Saul the purpose of God, telling him 
to look no further for the beasts, as they had been 
found. Saul was surprised that he, a Benjamin- 



«0 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

ite, and from one of the smallest families of the 
smallest tribes of Israel should be selected for such 
an office. But Samuel entertained him with hos- 
pitality, and the next day he anointed him to be 
king. 

177. David anointed king. — During Saul's reign 
there was almost constant war against the Philis- 
tines. But Saul offended God, particularly in 
saving alive Agag, the king of the Amalekites. 
He therefore commanded Samuel to go to Beth- 
lehem and anoint a king from among the sons of 
Jesse. When he arrived, Jesse presented to Sam- 
uel seven of his sons, but Samuel said God had 
not chosen any of them ; and he asked Jesse if 
these were all the children he had. Jesse told 
him, he had one son more, the youngest, who was 
tending sheep. Immediately he was sent for, and 
he came. This was David, a youth of a " beauti- 
ful countenance, and good appearance," whom 
Samuel anointed to be king in the presence of his 
brethren. The spirit of the Lord came upon Da- 
wid from that day forward. 

I. Samuel, chapter 17. 

178. David kills Goliath, On an occasion 

when an evil spirit from the Lord troubled Saul, 
David was sent for to amuse him with instrumen- 
tal music, for David was a remarkably skillful 
player on the harp. This had the effect to refresh 
Saul ; the evil spirit departed from him, and David 
found favor in his sight. 

Soon after these things, the Philistines made 
war upon the Israelites, and the two armies were 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. Oil 

encamped on two hills opposite to each other. In 
this situation, Goliath, a giant in stature, presented 
himself to the Israelites, challenging any one to 
fight with him. David accepted the challenge, 
and against the advice of Saul, he met Goliath, 
armed only with a stafTand a sling, and five smooth 
stones from a brook. When Goliath saw him, he 
affected to despise him. " Am I a dog," said he, 
*' that thou comest to me with stafi^s ? Come, I 
will give thy flesh to the fowls and the beasts." 
David replied, " Thou comest to me with a sword, 
with a spear and with a shield ; but I come to 
thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of 
the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." He 
then with the sling hurled a stone, which sunk into 
Goliath's forehead, and he fell. David then took 
the giant's sword and cut oiFhis head. 

I. Samuel, chapter 18. 

179. Causes of SauVs hatred of David. — Da- 
vid's music, and more especially his victory over 
Goliath, had commended David to Saul's favor ; 
and Jonathan, Saul's son, became very strongly 
attached to him. But when David returned from 
killing the giant, the females came forth to meet 
Saul with songs and dances, and musical instru- 
ments. And as they played they said, " Saul has 
slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." 
This greater praise bestowed on David than on 
Saul, excited Saul's jealousy ; and he said, " What 
can he have more but the kingdom ?" The next 
day, when David was playing on his harp, as usual, 
an evil spirit came upon Saul, and he threw a jave- 
8* 



90 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

lin at David, intending to kill him. But David 
was so prudent and popular that Saul was obliged 
to treat him with respect, and he appointed him to 
the command of a thousand men. He also gave 
him Michal, his daughter for a wife. But still he 
hated him. 

I. Samuel, chapters 19 — 24. 

180. Saul seeks to kill David, — Saul's jealousy 
and hatred of David continued to rankle in his ' 
breast, and he gave orders to Jonathan and the 
servants to kill him. Jonathan attempted to ap- 
pease his father's hatred, but without any perma- 
nent effect; for Saul again attempted to kill him 
with a javelin, which missed David and struck the 
wall. David fled, and to prevent being taken, his 
wife Michal let him down through a window, and 
he escaped. To deceive Saul's messengers, Mi- 
chal placed an image on a bed, with a pillow of 
goat's hair and covered it with a cloth ; and when 
the messengers came, she told them David was 
sick. David went to Ramah to join Samuel, and 
thence to Naioth. By means of stratagem and 
with Jonathan's assistance, David escaped several 
times from Saul who pursued him with inveterate 
malice. 

181. David cuts off SauVs skirt, — David, to 
conceal himself from Saul, took refuge in a cave 
at En-gedi. But his retreat was discovered, and 
Saul, being informed of it, took three thousand 
men, and went to find him. It so happened that 
Saul entered the cave, while David and his men 
lay in the sides, and were not discovered by Saul. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 91 

Here David might have dispatched his enemy with 
ease and certainty ; but he would not raise his 
hand against the "Lord's anointed ;" he therefore 
only cut off the skirt of Saul's robe ; and even this 
act gave him some uneasiness. But when Saul 
had left the cave, David followed and called to 
him, and bowed to him respectfully, as his lord the 
king, then remonstrated against his ill-treatment, 
and listening to the calumnies of his adversaries. 
Then to prove himself no enemy of Saul he told 
him that he had not killed him, when in his power 
and showed him the skirt. Saul, affected by this 
noble conduct of David, spoke kindly to him, call- 
ed him his son ; then wept, and acknowledged that 
David had been more righteous than himself, in 
returning good for evil. Saul said also that he 
knew David would be king, and made him take an 
oath not to extirpate his family. 

I. Samuel^ chapter 26. 

162. Death of Samuel — Davids loyalty. — Sam- 
uel, the eminent prophet, died and was buried in 
Ramah, and all Israel lamented his death. 

David was still obliged to keep himself conceal- 
ed from Saul. When he was on a hill of Hachi- 
lah, certain Ziphites informed Saul where he was, 
and Saul with three thousand men, went in search 
of him. David sent spies to ascertain whether 
Saul had come, and being informed, he went to the 
camp with Abishai, at night, where he found Saul 
asleep in a trench, with his spear stuck in the 
ground, at his bolster — Abishai requested that he 
might kill him ; but David said, no, for *' who can 



92 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed 
and be guiltless. '^ This is another instance of no- 
ble loyalty and generosity in David. But David 
took the spear of Saul and a cruse of water, and 
departed. 

I. Samuel,, chapters 26 — 31. 

183. David reproves Ahner — SauVs death.— 
When David took the spear from Saul, Abner, his 
general, lay near him. David, after he left the 
camp, went to a hill and calling to Abner, accused 
him of neglect of duty in not defending his king, 
Saul knew David's voice and again relented ; call- 
ed David his son, acknowledged he had done 
wrong, and promised to do him no harm. Here 
his pursuit of David ceased. David now went to 
Gath and assisted the king, Achish, against his en- 
emies. But the Philistines being doubtful of his 
fidelity, dismissed him, and he came to Ziklag. 
Finding that the Amalekites had invaded the city 
and taken his wives prisoners, he pursued them 
and recovered the captives. 

About this time Saul was attacked by the Phil- 
istines, and in battle he was wounded and three 
sons of his were slain, among whom was Jona- 
than. Saul now told his armor-bearer to kill him, 
but he refused; Saul then fell upon his own sword 
and died. 

II. Samuel, chapters 1 — 5. 

184. David'' s lamentation for Saul, — Soon after 
Saul and Jonathan had fallen, David was inform- 



VALUE OF THE BIELE. 93 

ed of the event by an Amalekite, who pretended 
he had slain Saul, expecting probably that David 
would be gratified with the intelligence. But Da- 
vid commanded him to be put to death, and then 
uttered a most affectionate lamentation on account 
of the death of Saul and Jonathan. II. Samuel, 
1, 17—27. 

David now by God's command went to Hebron, 
and there the men of Judah anointed him king. 
But Abner supported the house of Saul, and made 
Ish-bosheth, Sauls' son. King over Israel. The 
consequence was a long war between the adherents 
of the two parties, the house of Saul and the house 
of David. At length David prevailed and was 
anointed king over all Israel. 

185. David'' s prosperity and victories, — David 
being now acknowledged king of all Israel, pro- 
ceeded to extend the conquests of Israel and en- 
tirely subdue the Canaanites. He took the strong 
hold of Zion from the Jebusites ; repeatedly over- 
threw armies of the Philistines ; conveyed the ark 
of God from Kirjath-jearim to Zion and placed it 
in a tent ; subdued the Israelites, Moabites and 
Syrians ; placed garrisons in Sj^ria of Damascus 
and in Edom ; dedicated the spoils to the Lord ; 
and administered the government w^ith justice. 
But he committed a great sin in taking the wife of 
Uriah, and causing her husband to be slain in bat- 
tle. On this occasion Nathan, the prophet was 
sent by God to reprove David. This he did and 
brought him to penitence by a parable, in which a 
rich man is represented as taking from a poor man 
his only lamb to dress it for his table, when he 
had numerous flocks of his own. This gave oc- 



94 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

casion to David to write the fifty first psalm, in 
which the feelings of a true penitent pleading for 
pardon, are expressed with inimitable force and 
beauty, 

II. Samuel, chapters 15 — 18. 

186. Conspiracy of Absalom. — But David's son 
Absalom aspired to the throne, and for the pur- 
pose of obtaining it, courted the people. His 
practice was to stand near the gate and as people 
entered, he took them by the hand, professed great 
friendship for them, and declared that if he was 
judge in the land, he would do them justice. By 
this practice he stole the hearts of the people. 
With his father's permission, he went to Hebron, 
as he pretended, to pay a vow, but really to collect 
a force for taking the kingdom from his father. 
David hearing of Absalom's conspiracy, left the 
city and passed over the Jordan. Absalom pursu- 
ed him, and their forces had a battle ; but David 
commanded his general Joab to deal gently with 
Absalom. In this battle, the adherents of Absalom 
were defeated, and Absalom, riding on a mule, 
under an oak, his hair caught among the branches, 
and the mule passing on, left him hanging by his 
hair. Joab hearing this took three darts and thrust 
them into Absalom's heart, and he died. King 
David was deeply affected at his son's death, and 
said " O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absa- 
lom ! O that I had died for thee, O Absalom, my 
son, my son !" 

187. Final triumph of David. — The revolt of 
Absalom was quelled ; but one Sheba raised anoth- 
er insurrection. This was terminated by a wise 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 9& 

woman of Abel, a city where Sheba had collected 
his forces ; for when Joab approached to attack 
the city, she persuaded the inhabitants to cut off 
Sheba's head, and she threw it over the wall to 
Joab. After. this, David had four battles with the 
Philistines and defeated them. Having thus sub- 
dued all his enemies, David had rest and peace ; 
and he composed a song of thanksgiving to God, 
in sublime strains, which is recorded, II. Samuel 
23. and Psalm 18. 

II. Samuel, chapter 24. 

188. David numbers the Israelites, — David in 
his prosperity and pride, took a step which offend- 
ed God and brought great calamity on the nation. 
This was, by giving orders to Joab, his general, 
to number the people. Joab remonstrated against 
this measure ; bat the king persisted, and Joab 
and his officers numbered the people, and found 
that there were in Israel, eight hundred thousand 
men fit for war and in Judah five hundred thou- 
sand. But he was informed by Gad, the prophet 
that he had sinned, and he might choose one of 
three evils for his punishment — seven years of 
famine, defeat by his enemies three months, or 
three days pestilence. David, in a great strait, 
preferred to fall into the hand of the Lord, rather 
than into the hands of men, and the pestilence 
swept away seventy thousand men. David con- 
fessed the sin, and the plague was stayed. 

This is another instance of the punishment which 
God inflicts on the pride and arrogance of men, 
and of the mercy of God towards those who really 
repent and become humble. 



96 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



I. Kings, chapters 1, 2. 

189. Solomon made Kng-.— When David had 
become old, his son Adonijah attempted to usurp 
the kingly power, and Joab, David's principal mili- 
tary officer, joined him. But David had determin- 
ed that Solomon should succeed him, and by his 
order Zadok anointed him, and he was proclaimed 
King with great rejoicings. Adonijah hearing this 
news, fled and laid hold on the horns of the altar 
as a place of refuge. But on application to Solo- 
mon, he was pardoned for his usurpation, upon 
condition that he would be a loyal and good sub- 
ject. He however committed an error in asking 
Abishagfor a wife and by Solomon's order, he w^as 
put to death. Joab also hearing of Solomon's ap- 
pointment to the throne, fled to the altar, where by 
Solomon's order he was slain, and thus was op- 
position to Solomon, quelled, and he was left to 
enjoy his throne in peace. 

190. Death and character of David, — After 
Solomon was anointed King, David died, after a 
reign of forty years; seven years in Hebron pnd 
thirty three in Jerusalem. Before his death he 
charged Solomon to conduct himself as a man, 
that is with bravery and dignity ; to observe the 
laws of Moses, and to keep the statutes and com- 
mandments of God; as this course of conduct would 
secure prosperity. He is called in the scriptures 
the " sw^eet psalmist of Israel." He vras a brave 
warrior, and a skilful musician. He was distin- 
guished for his piety and although he fell into great 
sins, yet his penitence was sincere, and he is call- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 97 

cd the man after God's own heart. To David 
chiefly are we indebted for ihe psalms m scripture 
those devotional compositions, which proceeded 
from a heart glowing with piety and love to God, 
and which will warm the hearts of devout christ- 
ians, while the world endures. Among the last 
words of David were the following, " He that ru- 
leth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of 
God." II. Sam. xxiii. It is the neglect of this j 
divine precept, that is, the wickedness of rulers, 
and the depravity of men who elect wicked rulers, I 
which in every age, have filled the world with vio-j 
lence, and which have brought, and still bring! 
war, oppression and misery upon the human race./ 
And such will forever be the case ; if men will not 
regard the commands of God ; if they will not 
consider piety, religion or moral worth as indis- 
pensable qualifications in rulers, they must be har- 
rassed, defrauded and oppressed; this is the re- 
ward of their own disobedience and folly. 

I. Kwgs, chapter 3. 

191. Wisdom and piety of Solomon. — Soon af- 
ter Solomon was seated on the throne, the Lord ap- 
peared to him in a dream, and required that he 
should ask from God what he desired. Solomon 
in reply, acknowledged his own weakness, saying, 
"I am a little child," and that he was called to 
rule a great nation. He therefore prayed God to 
give him an " understanding heart," that he might 
discern between good and evil. This request was 
acceptable to God, who told him that as he had 
not asked for a long life, nor for riches, nor the 
9 



98 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

life of his enemies, he should have " a wise and 
understanding heart." And this promise was ful- 
filled ; for Solomon was distinguished for wisdom, 
above all other men. His proverbs comprise the 
substance of all moral and social duties. 

I. Kings, chapter h and sequeh 

192. Solomon builds a temple. — David during 
his life had proposed to build a temple to Jehovah, 
and actually made some provision for the work. 
But he was admonished by God not to proceed, 
but to leave the work to be executed by his son. 
2 Sam. vii. Solomon prosecuted the design, and 
applied to Hiram, King of Tyre, for timber, which 
was obtained ; then Solomon erected a splendid 
temple, and dedicated it to the service of God. 
When the building was finished, he directed the 
ark to be brought from the city of David, or Zion 
and placed in the most holy place. He then in 
presence of the elders and heads of the tribes 
kneeled before the altar and made a devout prayer 
to God for his blessing on the place, and supplica- 
ted forgiveness for the Israelites, who, when they 
should commit sin, should repent and pray towards 
the temple. He then closed the ceremonies with 
a feast and sacrifices, and dismissed the people, re- 
joicing for all the goodness of God to David and 
to Israel. 1. Kings, viii. 2. Chron. vi. 

I. Kings, chapters 9, 10 and 11. 

193. Solomon^s wealth and apostasy, — After 
Solomon had finished the temple and houses for 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 99 

his own accommodation, he built or repaired cer- 
tain cities, and among others Tadmor, in the 
wilderness, which is believed to have been Pal- 
myra, the ruins of which at this day prove it to 
have been a most magnificent city. Solomon also 
carried on a trade to Ophir, from Ezion-geber, a 
port on the Elanitic gulf, a branch of the Red Sea. 
There he built ships, and to navigate them, obtain- 
ed seamen from Hiram, Kin^ of Tyre. In these 
Solomon imported gold ; and so rich was Judea, 
in his reign, that silver was accounted of little val- 
ue. Solomon's fame brought to visit him the 
Queen of Sheba, or Queen of the South, that is 
Ethiopia or the southern part of Arabia. She w^as 
astonished at his wealth and the splendor of his 
house and furniture, and declared the half had not 
been told her. 

But Solomon's prosperity seduced him from his 
duty to God; he took a multitude of foreign women 
for his wives, and they led him into idolatry. This 
offended God, who declared to him that in conse- 
quence of his apostasy, the kingdom should be 
rent from his family, except one tribe, and this 
threat was executed. 

I. Kings, chapter 12. 

194. Division of the kingdom, — After a reign 
of forty years, Solomon died and was succeeded 
by his son Rehoboam, who went to Shechem where 
the Israelites had assembled to make him King. 
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had been a ser- 
vant of Solomon, but who had been informed by 
the prophet Ahijah, that the kingdom of Israel, 



100 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

would be rent, and that he should be kin^ over ten 
tribes, had fled to Egypt to avoid Solomon, who 
sought to kill him. No sooner was he informed 
that Solomon was dead, than he returned and the 
Israelites, being collected, they applied to Reho- 
boam to know if he would impose on them a yoke 
or burdens less grievous than his father had done. 
Rehoboam requested three days to consider the 
subject, and in that time, he took counsel, first 
of old men who, with true wisdom, advised him to 
govern with humanity and moderation, in which 
case his subjects would be faithful and contented. 
He then consulted young men, his companions, 
and they advised him to govern with more rigor 
than his father. He answered Jeroboam and the 
people according to this advice. " My Father," 
said he, "chastised you with whips, but I will chas- 
tise you with scorpions." 

195. Revolt of ten tribes, — The people on hear- 
ing Rehoboam's answer, said to him, " What por- 
tion have we in David — to your tents, O Israel." 
Ten tribes revolted from Rehoboam, and stoned 
Adoram, the officer who received the tribute. They 
then made Jeroboam King. Rehoboam in Jeru- 
salem reigned over Judah and Benjamin, and col- 
lected an army of one hundred and eighty thou- 
sand men to recover the kingdom. But Shemai- 
ah, the prophet, by God's direction, dissuaded him 
from the contest. Then Jeroboam took his resi- 
dence on Mount Ephraim, and to prevent his fol- 
lowers from going to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the 
Lord, supposing they might desert his cause, he 
made two idols, calves of gold, set one in Bethel 
and the other in Dan, and made priests of the low- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 101 

est of the people, not sons of Levi ; and thus 
made Israel to sin by renouncing the worship of 
the true God. 

Thus the Israelites were divided into two king- 
doms, that of Judah and Benjamin under Reho- 
boam, and that of Israel under Jeroboam. Thus 
they remained, till the ten tribes were carried cap- 
tive into Assyria by Shalmaneser. 

196. Reflection, — In the history of the Israel- 
ites, we find important truths, which ought not to 
pass unnoticed. Under David an able, upright 
pious prince, the enemies of Israel were all subdu- 
ed, and that prince left to his son a kingdom in 
peace. Solomon, by his wisdom and good policy 
raised the state of Israel to the highest degree of 
prosperity; and God promised him that if he would 
adhere to his statutes, the prosperity of his king- 
dom should be permanent, and the government 
should remain in his family. But he sinned and 
offended God, and his kingdom, after his death 
was rent asunder. We see also in the conduct of 
Rehoboam the folly of disregarding the counsels 
of elderly men, who had grown wise by experi- 
ence and a knowledge of mankind, and trusting to 
the advice of young men, who are often rash, in- 
experienced and headstrong. 

197. Condition of the Israelites, — The division 
of the Israelites into two kingdoms was followed 
by numerous wars between them, and innumerable 
calamities. Most of the kings in both kingdoms 
were very wicked ; the people often relapsed into 
idolatry, the worship of the true God was neglec- 
ted, and they were often afflicted with famine, or 

distressed by the invasions of enemies. Some of 
9# 



102 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

the kings were good men and they attempted to 
destroy idolatry; but only with temporary suc- 
cess. Emiaent prophets were divinely authorized 
to preach and remonstrate against the sins of the 
kings and people ; but so long and so wholly had 
the Israelites neglected the national worship, in 
the days of Josiah, that not only the king, but el- 
derly men had lost all knowledge of the laws of 
Moses. By accident, in repairing the temple in 
the reign of the good Josiah, a copy of the Book 
of the Law was found, and by means of this, Jo- 
siah was enabled to revive the national worship. 

This example shows the vast importance of ob- 
serving the sabbath and religious ordinances, as 
the means of preventing a general corruption of 
manners. Without these observances, a nation 
will inevitably be overwhelmed with vices and 
crimes. 

I. Kings, chapters 17, 18. 

198. Elijah, the prophet. — In the reign of the 
wicked Ahab, king of Israel, lived Elijah, an emi- 
nent prophet, who foretold a drouth of three years. 
To secure his safety, he was directed by God to 
withdraw to a place near the Jordan, vi^here he 
was fed by bread and flesh brought to him by ra- 
vens. He w'ds afterwards directed to go to Zare- 
fath, where he was sustained by a widow, who had 
only a handful of meal and a cruse of oil ; but these 
were not wasted or diminished by use, being mir- 
aculously supplied. While Elijah lived with this 
woman, her son sickened and died ; but he was 
raised to life, in answer to Elijah's prayer. There 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 103 

was a severe famine in Samaria, the seat of Ahab's 
kingdom, by reason of the drouth, and EHjah was 
sent to Ahab to reprove him for his idolatry, which 
had brought great distress upon the land. He was 
the only prophet of the true God, while the proph- 
ets of Baal w^ere four hundred and fifty. Elijah 
assembled the people and said to them " How long 
halt ye between two opinions ? If Jehovah is God, 
follow him ; but if Baal, then follow him." To 
prove the prophets of Baal to be impostors, he or- 
dered two bullocks, one for himself and the other 
for the false prophets to be killed and laid upon an 
altar. He then told them tu call upon their god, 
to burn their bullock. They did so, but received 
no answer. He then told them to call louder, for 
perhaps their god was on a journey or asleep. 
They did so, and cut their flesh, but no answer 
came. Elijah, having made preparation, then 
prayed to Jehovah,. and fire fell and consumed the 
sacrifice. This convinced the people and they ac- 
knov/ledged Jehovah to be God. They then by 
Elijah's direction, slew the prophets of Baal. This 
event was soon followed by a plentiful rain. 

I. Kings, chapter 19* 

199. JezeheVs avger-^.Elisha joins Elijah, — 
Elijah, by slaying the prophets of Baal, had exci- 
ted the vvrath of Jezebel, Ahab's wife, one of the 
most abandoned women that ever lived ; and she 
determined to take his life. She informed him of 
her purpose by a messenger. Elijah then fled, 
and took refuge in a cave at Horeb, weary of his 
life and praying to be relieved by death. He was 



104 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

indeed in a miserable plight, being the only good 
prophet, and incessantly persecuted. But God di- 
rected him to go towards Damascus, and there 
anoint Hazael to be king of Syria, and Jehu to be 
king of Israel, and Eiisha, to be prophet in the 
place of himself. He was told also that there were 
in Israel seven thousand persons who had not 
bowed the knee to Baal — being all that were not 
guilty of idolatry. On his way he found Eiisha, 
who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and 
on him he cast his mantle. Then Eiisha followed 
and ministered to him. Elijah was faithful in the 
service of God, reproving Ahab and Jezebel for 
their abominable wickedness. 

II. Kings, chapter 2. 

200. Elijah taken up to heaven — Children in- 
suit Eiisha* — In going from Gilgal, Elijah request- 
ed Eiisha to remain where he was, for he himself 
was sent by God to Bethel ; but Eiisha refused to 
be left. The request was repeated, but again re- 
jected. "When they came to the Jordan, Elijah 
folded his mantle, struck the water, and the river 
divided, opening a passage, and both passed over. 
Elijah then told Eiisha to ask what he should do 
for him, before they were parted. Eiisha said, 
*'Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me." 
This was a hard thing, but Elijah told him, if he 
should see him, when taken from him, he, Eiisha, 
would have his desire. And as they walked for- 
ward, conversing together, a chariot of fire and 
horses of fire appeared, and Elijah was parted from 
Eiisha, and carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 105 

Elisba cried out, "My father, my father, the char- 
iot and horsemen of Israel !" He was deeply 
<Trieved and rent his garment ; he then took up 
Elijah's mantle, struck the waters of the Jordan, 
which parted and he passed over and went to Jer- 
icho. Then on his way to Bethel, children came 
out of the city and insulted him ; sayino-, *'Go up, 
thou bald-head." He turned and upbraided them, 
when two she-bears came out of the wood and de- 
stroyed forty two of those children. This judg- 
ment shows the dipleasure of God towards chil- 
dren who insult the aged. Reverence for the hoary 
head is a duty which the young cannot be excu- 
sed for neglecting; and it is a virtue that always 
renders them amiable. 

II. Kings, chapters 4, 5, 7. 

201. Elisha's Miracles. — Elisha was an emi- 
nent prophet, and performed miracles. On one 
occasion he enabled a widow of one of the proph- 
ets to discharge a debt, by supplying an abundance 
of oil, by which he prevented her sons from being 
taken for bond-men to pay the debt. He raised 
from death the son of a Shunamite woman who 
entertained him. He purified deadly pottage by 
casting into it a portion of meal. He directed 
Naaman, general of a Syrian army, to wash in the 
Jordan for the leprosy. Naaman was angry, that 
he should be sent to the Jordan for this purpose, 
thinking the rivers of Damascus better than all the 
waters of Israel. But Naaman followed Elisha's 
direction, and was healed. Naaman offered him 
gifts which Elisha declined to receive ; but his ser- 



106 VALUE OF THE BIBLE 

Tant Gehazi took two talents of silver and two 
changes of raiment ; and for this deed was punish- 
ed by being seized with the leprosy. In a severe 
famine in Samaria, when besieged, Elisha prom- 
ised great plenty the next day ; and this proved to 
be the fact, for the besieging army of the Syrians 
were seized with a panic, and left the camp with 
their provisions, which supplied the Israelites. 
This prophet died in the reign of Joash, king of 
Israel. 

II. King's, chapter IT. 

202. Captivity of the ten tribes, — In the long 
period from Solomon to Hoshea, most of the kings 
of Israel were apostates from the true religion, and 
extremely wicked. In the reign of Hoshea, Shal- 
manezer, king of Assyria, invaded the land of Is- 
rael, and Hoshea submitted to pay him tribute. 
But Shalmanezar discovered that he was contri- 
ving to throw off the yoke, by uniting himself with 
So, the king of Egypt, and he first imprisoned 
Hoshea ; then came with an army, besieged Sa- 
maria for three years, and took it, and led the in- 
habitants captive, placing them in the cities of As- 
syria and the Medes ; and sending people from 
Assyria to inhabit Samaria. Thus were ten tribes 
of Israel removed from their country, to which 
they never returned. This was the judgment of 
God against a large portion of that nation which 
Jehovah had chosen for his people, whom he had 
wonderfuly preserved and protected, and to whom 
he gave a code of laws, more excellent than any 
other nation possessed. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 107 



II. Kings, chapter 18. 

203. Hezekiah's reign, — The tribe of Judah 
still held possession of their country, after the cap- 
tivity of Israel ; and their kingdom was blessed 
with the government of two good princes, Heze- 
kiah and Josiah. Hezekiah, the son of ^haz, who 
was a very bad king, set himself to extirpate idol- 
atry, and restore the worship of the true God. In 
this he was prospered. But Sennacherib, king of 
Assyria, invaded the country, and levied heavy 
contributions upon Judah. He sent messengers 
also to entice the people to revolt. Hezekiah, in 
this crisis, applied to Isaiah the prophet, who as- 
sured him that Sennacherib should be destroyed. 
He also supplicated the protection of God ; and 
God sent an angel, and destroyed the Assyrian ar- 
my, a hundred and eighty-five thousand men. Sen- 
nacherib then returned to Nineveh, where he was 
slain by his sons. 

After these things Hezekiah was sick and near 
to die ; but he prayed earnestly to God, wOio re- 
stored him to health, and added fifteen years to his 
life. On this occasion, a sign was given that his 
health would be restored : this was, that the shadow 
on the dial of Ahaz went back ten degrees. This 
was done at the prayer of Isaiah. 

II. Kings, chapters 21, 22. 

204. Josiah'^s reign. — Hezekiah was succeeded 
by Manasseh, a vile king, who reigned fifty-five 
years, and re-established idolatry. His son, Amon, 



lOS VALUE OF THE BIBLE, 

reigned two years, and did evil as his father had 
done, and his servants slew him. His son and suc- 
cessor was the good Josiah, who began to reign 
when but eight years of age. After he had arrived 
to nianhood, he ordered his ministers to repair the 
temple. In doing this, Hilkiah the priest found 
the Book of the Law, and gave it to Shaphan the 
scribe, who read it to the king. When Josiah 
heard the reading, he rent his clothes, being as- 
tonished and alarmed that the laws and worship of 
God had been so long neglected. It is evident 
that during the long reign of Manasseh, the na- 
tional worship had been neglected, and all knowl- 
edge of the law was lost. Josiah, sending to in- 
quire of the Lord, was informed by Huldah, the 
prophetess, that, for the idolatry and wickedness 
of the nation, God would bring evil on the coun- 
try, but on account of Josiah's repentance, the 
judgments of God would be deferred, till after his 
death. The king then convened the elders and 
people and read to them the laws, and then pro- 
ceeded to destroy every vestige of idolatry. 

205. Successors of Josiah. — Josiah being slain 
by Pharaoh Nechoh, king of Egypt, who invaded 
the territory of the king of Assyria, he was suc- 
ceeded by his son Jehoahaz, a wicked prince ; but 
Nechoh put him in bands or prison, subjected the 
land to tribute, and made Eliakim, another son of 
Josiah, king, changing his name to Jehoiakim, 
who also did evil in the sight of the Lord. This 
prince was made tributary to Nebuchadnezzar, 
king of Babylon, during three years; then he re- 
belled, and soon after died. He was succeeded by 
his son Jehoiakin, who, in the eighth year of his 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 109 

reign, was taken prisoner and carried to Babylon, 
with his treasures, and a great multitude of the in- 
habitants of Jerusalem. Then Zedekiah, whose 
first name was Mattaniah, reigned in Jerusalem. 
But in the ninth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar 
came with an army and besieged the city, for two 
years, when famine compelled the king to flee from 
the city. But he was overtaken by the Chaldeans 
and brought to the king; his sons were slain be- 
fore his eyes, and his own eyes were put out; he 
was then confined with chains and carried to Bab- 
ylon. Nebuzar-adan, a captain of the guard, then 
burnt the temple and all Jerusalem, demolished 
the wall, and carried captive all the principal in- 
habitants, leaving only the poorest for husband- 
men and vine-dressers. 

206. Reflections, — The history of the Israelites 
is full of instruction. God chose that nation to be 
the depositaries of his laws ; delivered them from 
bondage in Egypt ; performed many miracles for 
their preservation and protection ; sent one proph- 
et after another to warn the nation against forsa- 
king God ; gave them able and wise kings to con- 
quer the land of Canaan and establish the state ; 
but many of the kings apostatized to idolatry ; the 
people became corrupt ; and at last, God executed 
judgment upon the nation by the captivity of the 
king and most of the people, and putting an end 
to the state. Such or similar has been the fate of 
all corrupt nations ; and such will be our fate, if 
we neglect the worship and service of God. God's 
moral government requires that men and nations, 
renouncing his authority, should meet with exem- 
plary punishment. 

10 



116 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



Ezra, chapter 1. 

-207. Restoration of the Jews, — The Jews car- 
ried captive by Nebuchadnezzar were detained in 
Assyria about seventy years ; during which that 
country fell under the dominion of the king of 
Persia. Cyrus, a celebrated king of Persia, was 
moved to issue a proclamation for building a tem- 
ple in Jerusalem ; and permission was given for 
the Jews to return to their native land. The num- 
ber that returned was mor« than forty two thou- 
sand, besides servants, and the vessels of gold and 
silver, taken from Jerusalem, were returned. 
These began to build a temple, but were hindered 
by their adversaries, till they obtained a decree 
from Darius to proceed and finish it. After this, 
Ezra, a ready scribe in the law of Moses, was sent 
by Artaxerxes to establish the government ; and 
he appointed magistrates, and reformed the man- 
ners of the Jews, particularly by persuading them 
to dismiss all the foreign women whom the Jews 
had married. Nehemiah also was commissioned 
by Artaxerxes to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. 
By these men, Ezra and Nehemiah, the worship of 
the Jews was re-established ; and the temple and 
worship continued, till both were destroyed by 
Vespasian, a Roman general, about seventy year* 
after the christian era. 

208. Dispersion of the Jews. — Vespasian killed 
or dispersed the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who had 
stirvived the famine caused by the siege, and Ju- 
dea was subjected to the Romans. From that day 
to the present, the Jews have been dispersed among 



VALUE OF THi: BIBLE. Ill 

almost all nations. In most countries of Europe, 
not being permitted to hold land, they have lived 
by trade and brokerage; and such have been the 
prejudices against them, that in many countries 
they have been persecuted and oppressed beyond 
measure. In general, thej^ do not believe in the 
Messiah, but continue to observe the laws and 
rites of Moses. In the fate of the Jews, we have 
a remarkable proof of the truth of prophecy ; for 
Moses foretold that if the Israelites should forsake 
the commandments of God, they would be smitten 
before their enemies, and scattered from one end 
of the earth to the other, and suffer every kind of 
insult and oppression. See Deuteronomy, ch. 28. 
209. The prophet Isaiah. — During the existence 
of the Jewish state, prophets frequently arose, whp 
were instructed by God to reprove the idolatry 
and other transgressions of the nation. Among 
these, Isaiah was very conspicuous. He prophe- 
sied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hez- 
ekiah. He wrote in a sublime style ; and some of 
his predictions were so exactly f ifilled, that they 
may be almost denominated history. One of the 
most remarkable of his prophecies is recorded in 
the fifty third chapter of his writings. In this, he 
speaks of the character and sufferings of Christ, 
with surprising particularity ; and such was the 
conformity of the facts to the predictions, as to af- 
ford strong ground to support the inspiration of 
the prophet. This chapter in Isaiah was a princi- 
pal means of establishing the fiith of Sir William 
Jones in the authenticity and inspiration of the 
scriptures. 



113 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

210. Jeremiah, — Jeremiah prophesied before 
and at the time of the captivity by Nebnchadnez- 
zar. He was imprisoned first on suspicion of be- 
ing about to desert his country, and next on ac- 
count of his unfavorable predictions. He was ta- 
ken captive with his countrymen ; but Nebuzar- 
adan, the captain of the guard, gave orders that he 
should be well treated. His writings contain ma- 
ny excellent doctrines, and numerous denuncia- 
tions of wrath and judgments of God against the 
wicked Jews and other nations. He wrote the 
book called Lamentations, in which he describes 
the miseries of the Jews in captivity, and the des- 
olate condition of Jerusalem, in a style of inimita- 
ble tenderness. He justly ascribes all the calami- 
ties of the Jews to their sins. " Jerusalem hath 
grievously sinned, therefore she is removed." 
*' Our inheritance is turned to strangers ; our hous- 
es to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our 
mothers are as widows." " The crown is fallen 
from our head : Woe to us that we have sinned." 
Such is the feeling strain in which the prophet be- 
wails the sins and the miseries of his nation. 

Ezekiel, chapter 1. Daniel, chapters 1, 2. 

211. Ezekiel and DanieI.-Ezek\e],nnoiher proj)h- 
et of distinction, prophesied in captivity, in the land 
of the Chaldeans. During the captivity also arose 
Daniel, whose prophesies were very remarkable. 
This man, in consequence of refusing to be fed 
with the king of Babyh^n's provisions, was, with 
his three companions, permitted to feed on pulse, 
that he might not be defiled with the king's food. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 113 

On trial, it was found that they thrived ; and on 
conversing with them, the king found they excelled 
in understanding and wisdom. In the second year 
of Nebuchadnezzar, this king dreamed he saw a 
huge image, whose head was of gold, his breast 
and arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 
his legs of clay, his feet partly of iron and partly 
of clay. 

212. Interpretation of the dream. — Nebuchad- 
nezzar was troubled with his dream, and sent for 
astrologers and magicians to interpret it; but he 
forgot what it was, and his magicians could not in- 
form him. The king in wrath commanded all 
such men to be destroyed, and Daniel among the 
rest. But Daniel remonstrated against the hasty 
decree, and requested time, that he might show 
the interpretation. The dream was revealed to 
him in a night vision, and he communicated it to 
the king. Daniel then explained the dream as 
representing his own kingdom, that of the Medes 
and Persians, that of Alexander, and that of the 
Romans; and last of all, was the kingdom of the 
Messiah, represented by the stone cut out of the 
mountain. This was never to be destroyed. This f 
interpretation gratified the king, and he promoted ) 
Daniel to be chief governor, and ruler over the/ 
province of Babylon. 

Danielf chapter 3. 

213. The golden image. — Nebuchadnezzar made 

an image of gold, sixty cubits high, and set it up in 

the plain of Dura ; then assembling his chief men, 

he commanded them, on hearing the sound of mu- 

10* 



114 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

sical instruments, to fall down and worship the im- 
age, under the penalty of being cast into a fiery 
furnace. Daniel and his companions refused, and 
were thrown, bound, into a furnace of fire, the heat 
of which killed the men who executed tlie order. 
But Daniel and his companions were not hurt; 
and Nebuchadnezzar himself saw them walking 
freely in the fire, and sufifering no injury. He 
then directed them to come out, and when he per- 
ceived that the hair of their heads was not singed, 
nor their garments scorched, he pronounced bless- 
ings upon the God of these men, and declared that 
any pex^son speaking against him should be cut in 
pieces. 

Daniel, chapters 4, 5, 6. 

214. Dream of a tree. — Nebuchadnezzar after- 
ward dreamed of a great and tall tree, reaching to 
heaven, bearing beautiful leaves, and abundant 
fruit. Then a holy one descended from heaven, 
and commanded to hew down the tree, leaving the 
stump in the earth. This tree Daniel, now called 
Belteshazzar, interpreted to signify the king him- 
self, who was to be driven from human society, 
and condemned to eat grass like oxen, till his-iiair 
was grown like eagles' fethers, and his nails like 
bird's claws. This event took place, and at the 
end of the term prescribed, his reason returned to 
him, he was established in his kingdom, and he 
honored and praised the King of heaven. 

215. The hand-writing on the wall, — Belshaz- 
zar the king made a great feast to a thousand of 
his lords, and drank wine in honor of their gods, 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 115 

from vessels of gold which had been brought from 
Jerusalem. Then appeared fingers of a man's 
hand, which wrote some words on the plaster of 
the wal]. This made the king to tremble, so that 
his knees smote against each other. The Chalde- 
an soothsayers were now called, but they could 
not read the writing, nor interpret the words. 
Then Daniel was called, and he interpreted the 
words, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, to sig- 
nify that God had numbered the days of the king- 
dom, and finished it ; that the king w^as weighed in 
the balances and found wanting, and that his king- 
dom was divided and given to the Medes and Per- 
sians. For this explanation, Daniel v/as arrayed 
in scarlet, with a chain of gold about his neck, and 
proclaimed the third ruler in the kingdom. But 
in the same night Belshazzar was slain, and his 
kingdom was transferred to Darius, king of the 
Medes. 

216. Daniel cast into a den with lions. — Daniel 
was now doomed to a severe trial. His wisdom, 
prudence, and interpretation of dreams, had exalt- 
ed him in the king's estimation, and he was made 
first minister or chief over the princes of the 
realm. This preferment excited the jealousy of 
the princes, and they sought to find some fault for 
which they could accuse and degrade him. But 
his conduct was so upright, that they could not 
find cause to accuse him. They then agreed to 
advise the king to make a decree, that if any man 
should ask a petition from any god or man, for 
thirty days, except from the king, he should be 
cast into the den of lions. This was done, know- 
ing that Daniel worshiped the true God, and would 



116 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

not comply with the decree. And so it was, that 
Daniel, notwithstanding the decree, went into his 
chamber, and kneeling three times in the day, 
prayed towards Jerusalem, and gave thanks. The 
king hearing of Daniel's disobedience, condemned 
him to be cast into the den of lions. 

217. Daniel delivered from the den, After 

Daniel had been thrown into the den, the king 
was very uneasy, and passed a sleepless night. 
Rising early in the morning, he went to the den, 
called to Daniel, and inquired if his God was able 
to deliver him from the lions. Daniel replied, that 
God had sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, 
on account of his innocence. At this the king re- 
joiced, and commanded that Daniel should be taken 
out of the den ; but he ordered his accusers, with 
their wives and children, to be cast into the den, 
and the lions tore them in pieces, even before they 
reached the bottom of the den. King Darius, con- 
vinced now that the God whom Daniel served was 
the living God, commanded all his subjects to rev- 
erence him. 

Daniel, chapter 7. 

218. DanieVs vision of the four beasts. — Dan- 
iel was favored with a remarkable dream, which 
was full of meaning. He saw four beasts arise 
out of the ocean, all differing one from the other. 
The first was like a lion with wings; the second 
was like a bear ; the third was like a leopard ; and 
the fourth was strong, armed with iron teeth, and 
of terrible aspect. It had ten horns, and a little 
horn, and broke in pieces and devoured. After 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 117 

these things, Daniel beheld till the thrones were 
cast down, and the Ancient of days appeared on 
his throne. His garment was white as snow, his 
hair like wool, and his throne was like a fiery- 
flame ; from his mouth issued a fiery stream ; 
thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten 
thousand times ten thousand stood in his presence. 
This beast was slain, and the others after a season, 
lost their dominion. 

219. Interpretation of the vision. — Daniel then 
saw one like the son of man come in the clouds of 
heaven to the Ancient of Days, or eternal God, 
and to him was given dominion, and glory, and a 
kingdom which should be everlasting, and all na- 
tions were to serve him. Daniel was deeply af- 
fected, and petitioned to know the meaning of 
these things. He was then informed that the four 
beasts represented four kings ; which are under- \ 
stood to have been the same as were represented 
by Nebuchadnezzar's image — the Chaldean em- 
pire, that of the Medes and Persians ; that of Ma- 
cedonia or Alexander, and the Roman empire. 
The little horn which sprung up among the ten, is r 
supposed to be the pope or Romish church. Be- 
fore this horn, three of the ten fell, and this beast 
was to devour the whole earth, and trample and 
break it in pieces. This appears to be a brief, but 
forcible representation of the enormous power and 
despotism of the papal see. This enormous pow- 
er is finally to be destroyed, and the kingdom and 
dominion of its greatness under the whole heaven, 
will be given to the saints of the Most High, whose 
kingdom is everlasting. This is the true religion 
of Christ, which is to triumph, and prevail ovey 
the whole earth. 



118 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

220. Vision of the ram and he-goat. — Daniel, 
while at Shushan, in Persia, had another vision, 
which was a ram with two horns, one higher than 
the other, and with these he pushed every way, 
and no beast could resist him. Then came a he- 
goat from the west, having a notable horn between 
his eyes. This goat attacked the ram, broke his 
horns, and casting him down, stamped upon him. 
These were interpreted to Daniel. The ram with 
two horns represented the kings of Media and Per- 
sia, and the goat represented the king of Greece, 
who was Alexander the Great. The great horn or 
dominion of Alexander being broken, there came 
four kingdoms in its place ; and these represented 
the four kingdoms into which the dominions of Al- 
exander were divided after his death. 

Daniel, chapter 9. 

221. DanieVs prayer, — Daniel now learned by 
the books, or prophecy of Jeremiah, that the des- 
olation of Jerusalem, or captivity was to continue 
seventy years. Jeremiah 29 : 10. He was now 
advanced in life, and this period being nearly ac- 
complished, he set his face to God to seek the res- 
toration of Jerusalem by prayer and fasting. In 
this prayer he made confession of the sins of his 
nation, in departing from the precepts of God. 
"To us, O Lord, (said Daniel,) belongeth confu- 
sion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to 
our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 
To thee, Lord, belong mercies and forgiveness, 
though we have rebelled against him." While 
thus praying, the angel Gabriel, being caused to 



I VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 119 

fly swiftly, touched him about the time of the eve- 
ning oblation, and informed him that seventy 
weeks were determined upon the people and upon 
the holy city, to finish the transgression, to make 
an end of sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, 
to bring in everlasting" righteousness, to seal up 
the vision and to anoint the most Holy. 

222. Christ foretold. — "Know then," said Ga- 
briel, the heavenly messenger, " and understand 
that from the going forth of the commandment to 
restore and to build Jerusalem to the Messiah, the 
prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty and txvo 
weeks ; the street shall be built again, and the wall, 
even in troublous times. And after sixty and two 
weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for him- 
self; and the people of the prince that shall come 
shall destroy the city and sanctuary." The weeks 
here mentioned were weeks of years,, or seventy 
returns of the sabbatical year, each of seven years ; 
that is, four hundred and ninety years. This is 
one of the most clear and decisive prophecies of 
the coming of Christ, contained in the scriptures; 
and it was fulfilled with great exactness. Christ 
appeared on earth, and was crucified about four 
hundred and ninety years after the edict of the 
Persian king, authorizing the Jews to rebuild Je- 
rusalem ; and seventy years after the birth of 
Christ, the Romans destroyed the " city and sanc- 
tuary." 

223. Reflections. — The prophecies of Daniel 
are among the most remarkable in the scriptures; 
perhaps none so clearly foretell the coming of 
Christ, except the prediction in the fifty third chap- 
ter of Isaiah. These prophecies establish the 



120 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

truth and inspiration of the scriptures, in the most 
unequivocal manner. It cannot be alledged that 
these prophecies were written after the events pre- 
dicted ; for they were translated into the Greek 
language for the use of the Jews in Egypt, more 
than two hundred years before the birth of Christ. 
That Greek translation was used and quoted by the 
Apostles, and copies are now in our libraries. The 
prophecies of Isaiah were delivered. seven hundred 
years before the birth of Christ, and those of Dan- 
iel five hundred years before that event; and the 
accomplishment of their predictions corresponded 
so exactly with what was foretold, that the predic- 
tions cannot be ascribed to conjecture, or any hu- 
man foresight. 

Jonah, chapter I. 

224. History of Jonah, — The prophet Jonah 
lived before the reign of Jeroboam, for he foretold 
his successes, 2 Kings, 14. 25. This prophet was 
commanded by God to go to Nineveh, and de- 
nounce God's judgments against that great city, 
the metropolis of Assyria, for the wickedness of 
its inhabitants. Jonah was disinclined to this ser- 
vice, and instead of obeying the command, fled the 
other way, went to Joppa, a port on the Mediter- 
ranean, and embarked on board a ship bound to 
Tarshish, in Spain. [This place, called in pagaa 
authors Tartessus, was a little south of the modern 
Cadiz.] But a violent tempest arose, and the ship 
was in danger of foundering. The mariners were 
alarmed, and cried to their gods for preservation ; 
at the same time, they threw overboard a pan of 
the loading to lighten the ship. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 1^1 

225. Fate of Jonah, — While the storm was ri- 
sing, Jonah was asleep; but when the danger be- 
came great, the shipmaster awaked him, saying to 
him, " What meanest thou, O sleeper ; arise, call 
upon thy God ; it may be that God will think upon 
us, that we perish not." But not content with 
this call upon Jonah, the mariners agreed to cast 
lots to discover for whose cause this evil had fallen 
upon them. The result was, the lot fell upon Jo- 
nah, who was a stranger among them. They then 
inquired who he was, whence he came, and what 
his occupation. He told them frankly that he was 
a Hebrew, and feared Jehovah, the God of heaven. 
He told them also that he had fled from the pres- 
ence of the Lord. They were alarmed, and asked 
him what they should do to him, to calm the sea ? 
He replied, that they must cast him into the sea, 
for it was on his account that this tempest had fall- 
en upon them. They seemed reluctant to proceed 
to such an extremity, and rowed hard, to bring the 
ship to land ; but being unable, they cried to the 
Lord that they might not perish on account of the 
stranger, — and threw him into the sea. 

Jonah, chapters 2, 3. 

226. A great fish swallows Jonah. — Jonah was 
swallowed by a great fish, which God had prepared 
for that purpose ; and he was in the belly of the 
fish three days and three nights. In this dreadful 
condition, Jonah had recourse to prayer, for God 
only could save him. This earnest and pathetic 
prayer is recorded in the second chapter of Jonah. 
God heard his prayer, and caused the fish to vomit 

n 



122 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

out Jonah upon the land ; and thus he was saved 
from perishing, 

God now a second time directed Jonah to go to 
Nineveh, and preach as he should be commanded. 
Jonah obeyed, and went to Nineveh, a very great 
city, of three days' journey in extent; there he 
cried, " Yet. forty days and Nineveh shall be over- 
thrown." 

227. Effect of JonaWs preaching. — The peo- 
ple of Nineveh gave ear to Jonah's preaching. 
They believed God, and put on sackcloth, the gar- 
ment of mourning. The King laid aside his roy- 
al robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes, and 
proclaimed a fast in which not only man, but the 
very beasts, were to abstain from food and drink. 
He admonished his people also to turn from their 
evil ways, for, said he " Who can tell if God will 
turn and repent, and turn from his fierce anger, 
that we perish not." And it was so ; God, seeing 
their penitence, repented, that is, he remitted the 
punishment threatened, and spared the city. This 
is another example of the mercy of a benevolent 
being, who desires that none of the wicked should 
persist in sin and perish ; but that they should 
abandon wickedness and be saved. 

228. JonaWs displeasure. — Jonah was greatly 
displeased that God had spared Nineveh. Instead 
of rejoicing that his preaching had produced re- 
pentance, he was angry, and with a rebellious spi- 
rit, he expostulated with God, and even excused 
his own former disobedience, in fleeing towards 
Tarshish. So angry was he that he prayed that 
God would take his life, declaring that it would be 
better for him to die than to live. God reproved 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 123 

him for his anger j but Jonah was peevish and ob- 
stinate, and went out of the city» where he erected 
a booth, and sat in the shade, till he should know 
what was to be the fate of Nineveh. And here 
God still appeared to protect him, by causing a 
gourd to grow for a covering and shade. This ac- 
commodation was very grateful to Jonah. 

Jonah, chapter 4. 

229. Jonah deprived of the gourd, — It is proba- 
ble that Jonah's peevish rebellious spirit was not 
yet subdued ; and God prepared a worm during the 
night which killed the gourd. The next day, a 
violent east wind and sultry heat oppressed Jonah, 
and he fainted, and again wished to die. The Lord 
again expostulated with Jonah, and inquired wheth- 
er the loss of the gourd could justify his anger, 
Jonah persisted and justified his passion. But God 
argued with him to show him how unreasonable 
he was, "Thou," said God, ''hast had pity on the 
gourd ; a plant for which thou hast not labored ; 
which come up in a night and perished in a night. 
And should not I have pity on Nineveh, a great 
city, in which are more than one hundred and 
twenty thousand infants, too young to know the 
right hand from the left, and many cattle." What 
effect this rebuke had on Jonah is not known. 

230. Reflections. — The story of Jonah is full of 
instruction. That the story is true, we may be 
certain from the fact, that our Savior admits it to 
be true, when he speaks of his own lying in the 
grave three days and three nights, as Jonah did in 
the belly of the fish. Math. 12. Jonah attempted 



124 VALUE or THE BIBLE. 

to flee from his Maker, without obeying his com- 
, mand ; but in vain. There is no escape from God's 
eye or from his wrath. Jonah was angry that God 
did not destroy Nineveh, as Jonah had predicted ; 
perhaps he thought he should be considered a false 
prophet. But he sinned by being angry : he ought 
to have rejoiced at the success of his preaching, 
and the salvation of the city. But he manifested 
a rebellious spirit. Still God spared him and pro- 
vided for him a comfortable shade and protection 
against the violent^heat of the sun ; but Jonah was 
not yet humbled and submissive. Then God cau- 
sed a worm to destroy the gourd, and Jonah still 
complained and wished to die. God thus rebuked 
him by showing him how unreasonable he was, re- 
garding with care a gourd for which he had not la- 
bored ; and yet murmuring that God had shown 
compassion to the penitent inhabitants of a great 
city. 

231. Conclusion of the Old Testament, — After 
the Jews had returned from the Babylonish cap- 
tivity, and the national worship was re-established, 
the Lord continued to send prophets to warn them 
of the consequences of their sins and rebellion 
against God. The last of these prophets was Ma- 
lachi, who lived about four hundred years before 
the birth of Christ. Several of the prophets fore- 
told the advent of Christ, amon-g these was Mala- 
chi. The Jewish state after that continued, but in a 
feeble condition, and for the most part tributary to 
the kings of Syria or of Egypt, till they fell under 
the dominion of the Romans, who possessed their 
country when Christ appeared on earth. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 125 



The Christian dispensation, Matthew 1. Luke 1. 

232. Birth of Christ the Messiah of the Old 
Testament, — The most important event that has 
ever taken place in this world since the creation 
was the birth of the Son of God, who was sent to 
repair the ruins of the Apostasy, and to redeem 
mankind from the penalties denounced against 
their disobedience. This event took place in the 
reign of Augustus Cesar, emperor of Rome, when 
Herod was King of Judea. The mother of Jesus 
Christ was Mary, who was espoused to Joseph, 
a descendant from King David, and the patriarch 
Abraham. The place of his birth was Bethlehem, 
in Judea. His name Jesus signifies Savior ; and 
Christ signifies, anointed, as does Messiah. 

233. Joy at the birth of Christ. — When Christ 
was born, an angel appeared to certain shepherds 
who were watching their flocks by night. He was 
accompanied by a brilliant light, and the shepherds 
were in fear. But he said to them, " Fear not, 
for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, 
which shall be to all people ; for to you is born this 
day in the city of David, a savior, who is Christ 
the Lord." He then informed them that they 
would find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 
lying in a manger. ''And suddenly there was with 
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, prais- 
ing God and saying. Glory to God in the highest, 
and on earth peace, good will towards men." This 
was indeed an occasion of joy, such as angels and 
men never before witnessed. 

11* 



126 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



Matthew, chapter 2. 

234. Magians come from the East. — Certain 
philosophers of the east called Magi, Magians or 
wise men, being apprised of the birth of Christ, 
having seen his star in the east, came to Jerusalem, 
and inquired for him who was born king of the 
Jews. Herod hearing this, and apprehensive of 
having a rival King, was much disturbed and in- 
quired of the chief priests and scribes where Christ 
should be born, alluding to the predictions of his 
birth by the prophets. They told him, in Bethle- 
hem. Herod then ascertained from the magians, 
the time when the star appeared, sent them to 
Bethlehem to find the young child, and then re- 
turning, to give him information where he was. 
But they were warned by God not to return to He- 
rod, but to depart into their own country, which 
they did. 

235. Destrvction of the children. — Herod, learn- 
ing that the wise men had disappointed him, was 
very angry, and gave orders to kill all the children 
in Bethlehem and its borders, who were not more 
than two years old, expecting by this stroke to de- 
stroy the child Jesus. But an angel had apprised 
Joseph, of Herod's design, and directed him with 
his wife and son to flee into Egypt, and remain 
there till he should be further informed. Thus the 
child was presevved, and on the death of Herod, 
Joseph was commanded to return to Judea ; but 
being afraid of Archelaus, Herod's successor and 
being warned by God in a dream, he went to Naz- 



VALUE Oy THE BIBLE. 127 

areth in Gallilee ; hence Christ was called a Naz- 
arene. 

236. Jesus baptized, — Jesus Christ was prece- 
ded in time by John, the Baptist, who proclaimed 
the coming of Christ, preached repentance and re- 
formation, and baptized multitudes of Jews. Je- 
sus also went to him from Gallilee to the Jordan, 
to be baptized by him ; but John, doubtless feeling 
his own inferiority, declined at first to administer 
the rite of Baptism to Jesus, saying he had more 
need of being baptised by Jesus ; but Jesus con- 
vinced him of the propriety of this application, 
and John baptized him. On this occasion, the 
heavens were opened, and the spirit of God de- 
scended upon Jesus in the form of a dove ; and at 
the same time, a voice came from heaven, saying 
"This, is my beloved son, in whom I am well plea- 
sed." 

Matthew^ chapter 4. Luke, chapter 4. 

237. Christ tempted. — One of the remarkable 
events which attended the appearance of Christ 
on the earth, was, the temptation he suffered from 
Satan, the grand adversary of man. For this pur- 
pose, Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness, 
where he fasted forty days and nights. The tempter 
then proposed to him, if he was the son of God, to 
command stones to be converted into bread; but 
Jesus repelled the temptation by quoting a passage 
from the old testament. Deut. 8: 3. The Devil 
then took him into the holy city, and set him on a 
pinnacle of the temple, from which elevation he told 
him to cast himself down, for he said that angels 



128 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

were charged to uphold him, and prevent his being 
injured. Jesus repelled this temptation by citing 
a passage from Deuteronomy, 6. 16, which forbids 
any one to tempt the Lord. The Devil then led 
him up a high mountain, and showed him all the 
kingdoms of the world, which he promised to give 
to Christ, if he would fall down, and worship him. 
Jesus then bid him, be gone, quoting a passage 
from Deuteronomy, which requires men to wor-? 
ship the true God, and no other being. Satan then 
left Christ, and angels came and ministered to him. 

These temptations were doubtless intended for 
an example to men ; presenting, in the resistance 
of Christ, a model of determined opposition lo 
every species of temptation and enticement to do 
that which God has forbidden. This example we 
should keep always in view for imitation. 

238. Jesus among- the doctors of the law, — When 
Jesus was twelve years of age, he accompanied 
his parents to Jerusalem, at the feast, and after the 
feast, they set out on their return, supposing their 
son to be in the company. After a day's journey, 
they missed him, and returned to Jerusalem, where 
they found him in the temple, sitting among the 
doctors, or learned Jews, hearing them and ask- 
ing them questions. All that heard him were as- 
tonished at his understanding and answers. His 
mother rebuked him for staying behind, telling 
him that his father and herself had sought him, 
sorrowing. But Christ gave her to understand that 
it was proper for him to be engaged in his father's 
business ; meaning the work which was assigned 
to him by God, his heavenly father. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 129 

239. Sermon on the mount, — Among the first 
instructions of Christ, are the precepts and doc- 
trines related in the fifth, sixth and seventh chap- 
ters of Mattliew, which are usually denominated 
his sermon on the mount. These doctrines and 
precepts, comprising the most excellent rules of 
duty towards God and man, ought to he treasured 
up in the memory of every son of Adam. All our 
actions should be regulated by them. They raise 
the mind above all the groveling pursuits of men 
in this world; they tend to purify ail our desires, 
and elevate them to God and divine things.' No 
man can be a disciple of Christ who does not ha- 
bitually practice these precepts; the universal prac- 
tice of them would put an end to half the miseries 
of this world ; and secure to men the sublime hap- 
piness of the world to come. 

Matthew^ chapter 13. 

240. Parable of the sower. — One of the most 
impressive modes of instruction adopted by our 
savior, was by parables. One of these is the sto- 
ry of the sower, who cast seed upon the ground 
to produce a crop ; but in sowing, some seeds fell 
by the w^ay side, and were eaten by fowls ; some 
seeds fell in stony places, where there was little 
earth and they withered; other seeds fell among 
thorns, which choked the grain and prevented its 
growth ; but some seeds fell on good ground and 
produced abundantly, even to sixty and a hundred 
ibid. In this parable, the seed which fell by the 
way side represents the hearing of the word by 
the ignorant and careless, on whom it makes no 



k 



130 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

permament impression. The seed that fell on sto- 
ny places represents the hearing of the word by 
those who receive the word with joy; but have no 
root in themselves; they are not humbled and pen- 
itent; they have no just sense of their own de- 
pravity ; no godly sorrow for sin ; their affections 
are not sanctified ; and when afflictions fall upon 
them, they stumble and relapse into sin. The 
seed which fell among thorns represents the hear- 
ing of the word by those who permit the cares and 
pleasures of this life to banish religion from their 
hearts. The seed which fell upon good ground 
represents the hearing of the word by such as re- 
ceive the word into good and honest hearts, who 
sincerely desire to learn the truth, and live in con- 
formity to God's will. The sower of the seed is 
Christ himself, delivering the word of God to men. 
How happily adapted is this parable to represent 
the manner in which different persons receive the 
doctrines of the gospel. 

Matthew, chapter 14. 

241. Christ feedeth multitudes miraculously. — 
John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod, for say- 
ing, it was not lawful for him to have his brother 
Philip's wife. Jesus hearing this departed into a 
desert for retirement and safety ; but great multi- 
tudes from the cities followed him, and they had 
no provisions. His disciples proposed that he 
should send them away to buy victuals for them- 
selves ; but Christ directed them to recline on the 
grass; then he took {ive loaves of bread and two 
fishes, all which his disciples had, and after sup- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 131 

plicating a blessing, he distributed these provisions 
among five thousand men besides women and chil- 
dren. These all ate and were satisfied. On anoth- 
er occasion, Christ fed four thousand men, besides 
women and children, with seven loaves and a few 
small fishes. While therefore Christ was giving 
men instructions in divine things, to secure their 
immortal felicity, he had compassion on them and 
supplied their natural wants, by an exertion of su- 
pernatural power. 

MattJiew, chapter 17. Luke^ chapter 9. 

242. Transfiguration of Christ. — On one occa- 
sion, Christ took Peter, James and John with him 
upon a high mountain, for prayer, where he was 
transfigured : that is, he underwent a change of 
form. His face shone as the sun and his raiment was 
w^hite as the light. Then appeared to him Moses 
and Elijah conversing with him, and Peter thinking 
it good to be there proposed to erect three tents, 
one for Christ, one for Moses and one for Elijah. 
While he was speaking, a bright cloud overshad- 
owed them, and a voice from the cloud declared. 
" This is my beloved son, in whom I am well plea- 
sed ; hear ye him." The personages then disap- 
peared. Christ when descending the mountain, 
charged his disciples to keep these things secret, 
until after his resurrection. 

This wonderful event is related not only by Mat- 
thew, Mark and Luke ; but Peter himself, in his 
second epistle, expressly declares that he w^as an 
"^ye witness to this scene, and heard the voice. This 
was a distinguished honor which God bestowed on 



132 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

his son, and an incontrovertible proof of Christ's 
divine character and mission. 

Matthew, chapter 22. 

243. Parable of the marriage, — Christ illustra- 
ted the invitations of the gospel to the Jews by in- 
vitations given by a King for persons to attend the 
marriage of his son. Servants were sent to invite 
guests, but many declined. Some went to their 
farms, others to their merchandise ; others ill- 
treated the servants and slew them. The King in- 
dignant that his servants should be thus used, sent 
troops and destroyed the murderers. The King 
then sent his servants into the highways, and col- 
lected as many as they found, and the wedding 
was furnished with guests. 

This parable represents the invitations to accept 
offered mercy, given first by John the baptist, and 
by the seventy disciples who were commissioned 
by Christ for that purpose. The first invitations 
being refused, other servants are sent, who were 
the apostles and first preachers after the resurrec- 
tion of Christ. These invitations were made to 
the Jews, who are represented as rejecting them. 
After that, the servants were sent to collect guests 
from the highways ; that is, the Jews having re- 
jected Christ, the gospel was preached to the gen- 
tiles ; they accepted the invitation, and were ad- 
mitted to the privileges of the Lord's people. We 
are of the number of the gentiles who have been 
invited to the marriage supper ; and many, it is 
hoped, will be found among the guests. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 133 

244. The man who had not a ivedding garment. 
— When the King entered the apartment where 
the guests were assembled, he savv one man there 
who had not a wedding garment. He asked him 
how he came to that place without the proper gar- 
ment; and the man knowing his guilt was speech- 
less. The king then ordered him to be bound 
hand and foot, and to be cast into utter darkness, 
where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
The wedding garment is true religion, or the right- 
eousness of Christ by faith ; an indispensible re- 
quisite for. every person who expects to be saved 
by his merits. This is the mark by which a true 
believer is distinguished from a hypocrite. As the 
man who had not a wedding garment was bound 
hand and foot and cast into utter darkness ; so all 
men who reject the invitation of the gospel, or ex- 
pect to be received with a hypocritical show of re- 
ligion, without repentance, faith and humility, will 
be rejected at the last day, and banished into a re- 
gion of misery and despair, characterized by weep- 
ing and gnashing of teeth. 

Matthew, cha'pter 25. 

245. Parable of the ten virgins. — By the para- 
ble of the ten virgins, Christ is intended to illus- 
trate the manner in wliich different persons make 
preparation for death and the final judgment, and 
the necessity of having true religion. The para- 
ble was taken from the customs of the Jews in cel- 
ebrating marriages. The bridegroom used to go 
to conduct home his bride, accompanied by bride- 
maids carrying lamps. Christ is the bridegroom 

12 



134 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

of the church ; and in this parable, the wise virgins 
whose lamps were supplied with oil represent real 
christians who are prepared to meet Christ in judg- 
ment ; the foolish virgins, who had no oil in their 
lamps, represent sinners or hypocritical professors 
who have only a show of religion, and therefore 
are not prepared for death and the judgment. 
These, when Christ comes, discover their want of 
genuine faith, repentance and obedience, and apply 
to christians for their prayers and assistance ; but 
all in vain; they can have no admission to the mar- 
riage supper. The door of salvation is closed 
against them forever. This shows the importance 
of constant watchfulness and preparation for death. 
246. Parable of the talents, — In ihe parable of 
the talents, Christs represents the different manner 
in which different persons employ their powers and 
advantages. A man about to travel into a distant 
country, delivered to his servants his goods; to 
one he gave five talents, to another two, to another 
one, according to their several ability. These tal- 
ents they were to use for profit and improvement, 
during his absence. On his return, he called on 
them to give an account of the use they had made 
of their gifts. The first and second informed him 
that they had so employed their talents as to double 
the amount. The third told him that he knew his 
master to be a hard man, requiring more of his 
servants than they could perform, or than he had 
furnished the means of performing ; he therefore 
had hid his talent in the earth, that is, he had not 
used his faculties to any profitable purpose. The 
master then assigned to the faithful servants their 
reward ; declaring that as they had been faithful 



i 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 135 

over a few things, he would make them rulers over 
many things; and directed them to enter into the 
joy of their Lord, or final happiness. The unfaith- 
ful servant he condemned to lose the one talent, 
and to.be cast into utter darkness. The one tal- 
ent was to be given to him that had well employed 
his talents. By this is represented that those who 
improve their time and privileges to good purposes 
shall be enriched with further additions of grace. 

Luke, chapter 15. 

247. The lost sheep, — In the parable of the lost 
sheep, Christ represents the condition of sinners 
who have departed from God, and thus are lost, or 
exposed to everlasting destruction. At the same 
time, he shows what sincere desire Christ has to 
recover even one lost sheep ; that is, to reclaim 
sinners, and bring them back to the care and pro- 
tection of the good shepherd, or obedience to 
Christ. He shows also what interest the inhabit- 
ants of heaven take in the redemption of men ; 
and what joy they manifest when a sinner is re- 
claimed. 

Another parable states the solicitude with which 
a lost piece of money is sought by a woman, who 
lights a candle and sweeps the house till she finds 
it, and then calls upon her friends to rejoice with 
her. This is intended still further to illustrate 
the joy which Christ and his worshipers experi- 
ence upon the conversion of sinners. 

248. The prodigal son. — The parable of the 
prodigal son is adapted to show the ingratitude 
and rebellion of men, their miserable state when 



136 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

they have forsaken God, the effect of want and af- 
fliction in bringing men to repentance, and the 
mercy of God in forgiving the penitent. 

A man had two sons ; the younger requested 
his father to give him his portion of goods ; which 
request was granted. The son then left his father, 
traveled to a distant country, and there indulged 
in riot and luxury, till he had wasted all his prop- 
erty. At that time a famine came upon the land, 
and the son, being in want, joined a citizen, and 
was employed in feeding swine. In this low em- 
ployment he was reduced by hunger to feed on 
husks, the food of the swine. This wretched con- 
dition and his sufferings brought him to a sense of 
his folly. He thought of his father's house, which 
he had foolishly forsaken, and considered that his 
father's servants had food in abundance, while he 
was perishing with hunger. 

This is a striking representation of the fate of 
sinners who abandon the service and protection of 
their heavenly father, waste their substance in dis- 
sipation and folly, and reduce themselves to wretch- 
edness. 

249. The prodigal returns to his father, — The 
miserable prodigal now determined to return to his 
father's house, and say to his father, "I have sin- 
ned against heaven and before thee ; I am no more 
worthy to be called thy son ; make me as one of 
thy hired servants." His father saw him at a great 
distance, and moved by compassion, he ran to meet 
him, fell on his neck and embraced him. The son 
confessed his sin in forsaking him, and acknowl- 
edged himself unworthy to be called his son. But 
ih^ father, received him, not only without rebuke, 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



13t 



but with forgiveness and parental tenderness ; and 
directed him to be arrayed in the best robe, with a 
ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. He then 
ordered a rich feast to be prepared, that they might 
eat together with joy and gladness. What a beau- 
tiful representation is this of the genuine repen- 
tance and humility of a sinner returning to the 
service of God, and of the readiness of a compas- 
sionate God to forgive the sincere penitent, and 
clothe him with the robe of Christ's righteous- 
ness ! 

250. Conduct of the elder son, — The elder broth- 
er was in the field, when the younger son return- 
ed ; and as he approached the house, he heard mu- 
sic and dancing, and calling a servant, inquired 
what was the cause. Being informed that his lost 
brother had returned and that his father had re- 
ceived him with gladness and feasting, he was an- 
gry, and refused to enter the house, even though 
entreated by his father. He said he had remained 
with his father, and been faithful in his service; 
yet his father had not once given him a kid to feast 
his friends. But as soon as his brother had re- 
turned, after spending all his living in bad compa- 
ny, his father had killed for him the fatted calf. 
His father however said, he had been alwavs with 
him in the full enjoyment of his estate ; and it was 
proper that they should rejoice, at the return of his 
brother, who had been given over as lost. 

It is supposed that in this parable, the pharisees 
are intended by the elder son, and the publicans 
and other immoral jews are intended by the young- 
er son. But the parable is applicable to all men in 
like circumstances. 

13* 



138 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



Luke J chapter 16. 

251. The rich man and Lazarus. — Christ nar- 
rates a story which may be called a parable, al- 
though in. its main points, it describes what really 
happens. A rich man, clothed in costly apparel, 
and feasting daily on the richest luxuries, died and 
was buried. Lazarus, a beggar, who lay at the 
door, asking for the fragments of the rich man's 
table, died also, and was conveyed by angels to 
Abraham's bosom, that is, to heaven or a place of 
happiness. The rich man sunk into a place of 
misery, and in torments he lifted his eyes and saw, 
at a great distance, Abraham with Lazarus in his 
bosom. He then cried to Abraham, "Father Abra- 
ham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he 
may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my 
tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." This 
request shows the extreme anguish of the rich 
man. But Abraham told him, that he had receiv- 
ed a full share of good things in the world, but 
Lazarus had been wretched. He told him further 
that there was an impassable gulf between them, 
and of course he could expect no relief. This' is 
a tremendous thought, that the doom of the wick- 
ed is irrevocably fixed at death. No prayer avails 
to deliver them from torment — endless torment. 

252. The rich man^s last request. — The rich 
man finding his own case hopeless, then sought to 
notify his five living brethren of his dreadful con- 
dition, that they might be persuaded to avoid his 
fate. But Abraham replied that they had Moses 
and the prophets, and might listen to their instruc- 



T'ALUE OF THE BIBLE. 139 

tions. This did not satisfy the rich man; he wish- 
ed to have a special messenger from the dead sent 
to warn them against coming into that place of 
torment ; supposing such a message would certain- 
ly induce them to repent. But Abraham replied, 
that if they would not hear Moses and the proph- 
ets, neither would they be persuaded by a messen- 
ger from the dead. The sum of the story is, that 
riches often corrupt and destroy men, by the en- 
ticemenlvS of luxury and blandishments of pleas- 
ure. The rich enjoy all the pleasures which this 
world affords, but at death sink into endless mise- 
ry. On the other hand, the poor despised beggar 
who can hardly find subsistence from the crumbs 
that fall from the tables of the rich, is often a pi- 
ous man^ and when he dies he is admitted to the 
endless joys of heaven. 

We learn further, that Moses and the prophets, 
that is, the ordinary means of grace in a christian 
land, furnish sufiicient inducements to persuade 
men to repent and accept ofi'ered mercy; and that 
if they neglect these means, they will not repent, 
though a messenger should be sent to them from 
the ather world. 

Matth., chap, 21, Luke, chap. 20. Isaiah, chap. b. 

253. Parable of the vineyard. — To represent 
the unbelief of the Jews and their obstinacy in sin, 
Christ delivered the parable of the vineyard, taken 
from the fifth chapter of Isaiah. A householder 
planted a vineyard on a fruitful hill, fenced it, dig- 
ged a wine press, built a tower, and leased it to 
husbandmen, expecting to receive a portion of iti 



140 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

fruits. That is, God established the Jewish na- 
tion, defended them, granted ihem laws and ordi- 
nances, and all that was necessary for their pros- 
perity ; expecting they would bring forth the prop- 
er fruits of obedience and righteousness. But see 
the issue ; instead of bringing forth grapes, the 
vineyard produced wild grapes; that is, the house 
of Israel rebelled against God, introduced idolatry 
and practiced every kind of iniquity. 

254. Conduct of the husbandmen. — The Lord 
of the vineyard, at the proper season, sent his ser- 
vants to receive, from the husbandmen, the pro- 
duce ; and this was done in repeated instances. 
But the ungrateful husbandmen abused and insult- 
ed the servants ; beating one and killing another. 
At last, he sent his son, saying, "They will rever- 
ence my son." But not so ; for they said, ''this is 
the heir; come, let us kill him and seize on the 
inheritance." That is, God sent prophets fre- 
quently to admonish the Jews of their departure 
from him, and urging them to return to their duty 
and obey his laws; but they disregarded their ad- 
monitions, and abused or killed them. At last 
God sent his son, Jesus Christ, but they rejected 
him, they cast him out of the vineyard, and put him 
to death. For this wickedness, God punished the 
Jew's by an entire destruction. The Romans took 
Jerusalem and razed it to the foundation, and the 
nation was dispersed. The vineyard has been 
given to other husbandmen, that is, the gospel and 
all its privileges have been transferred to the gen- 
tiles, who are to bring forth the proper fruits to 
the glory of G od's kingdom. 



VAJLUE OF THE BIBLE. 141 



Matthew^ chapter 25. 

"255. Description of the last judgment. — In this 
chapter, Christ gives a descriyjtion of the proceed- 
ings of the great day, in which all the human race 
will receive their final doom. At that time Christ 
the-sovereign judge, will appear in all his glory ac- 
companied by the holy angels, and be seated on 
his throne. Before him will be gathered all na- 
tions, all who have lived on this earth, and Christ 
will separate them, as a shepherd divides the sheep 
from the goats. The sheep, that is, the real chil- 
dren of God, will be set on his right hand, the place 
of honor; but the goats, that is, the wicked will be 
set on his left hand. Then will Christ address his 
sanctified and beloved children, in terms that will 
fill them with unutterable joy and all heaven with 
praise — " Come ye blessed of my father, inherit 
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation 
of the world." And why is this blessed invitation 
given ? Christ assigns the reason ; because they 
had furnished him with food and drink, and clo- 
thing, and assistance in distress. They inquire, 
when they had performed these acts of kindness to 
him. Christ replies, that as they had performed 
these acts of benevolence to poor afflicted christ- 
ians, he received them as done to himself. This 
is the glorious reward of good deeds, performed in 
obedience to Christ, and for his follow^ers. 

25G. Doom of the wicked. — To the wicked on 
his left hand, Christ will pronounce this terrible 
sentence. " Depart from me, ye cursed, into ev- 
erlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his an- 



143 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

gels." And why! "because," says Christ, "when 
I was hungry and thirsty and naked or in distress, 
ye administered to me no relief." They answer, 
by inquiring when they saw him in want and dis- 
tress. Christ informs them that as they had not 
performed these acts of kindness to the least of 
his brethren or disciples, they had not performed 
them to him. He then declares that " these shall 
go away into everlasting punishment ; but the right- 
eous into life eternal." 

Such is the representation which Christ the judge 
of the living and the dead has given of the trans- 
actions of the great day which is to seal the doom, 
the irrevocable doom, of all the human race. Who 
can read this description of that solemn day, of the 
majesty of Christ, his tender and affecting address 
to his redeemed children, and the awful sentence 
of condemnation against the wicked, without inex- 
pressible emotions of delight or of horror? 

357. Miracles of Christ, — The miracles of 
Christ are among the most convincing evidences 
of his divine mission and almighty power. At a 
marriage in Cana of Gallilee, where his mother 
was present, he converted water into wine for the 
guests; he healed a leper by a single command, 
*' I will, be thou clean ;" he healed a centurion's 
servant, when absent; he touched the hand of Pe- 
ter's mother in law, when sick with a fever, and 
she was healed ; he cured one affected by palsy, 
with a command, " Arise, take up thy bed, and go 
to thy house ;" he cast out many demons or evil 
spirits, which tormented those who were possess- 
ed ; and he raised Lazarus from death, after he 
had been three days in the grave. He instantly 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 143 

calmed a tempest and quieted the sea, by a single 
command, '* Peace, be slill." These and other 
supernatural works prove Christ to have been in- 
deed the Son of God, and ought to command our 
entire confidence in his divine character and au- 
thority, as the redeemer of the world. 

258. Disciples of Christ. — Christ, when he first 
commenced his ministry, selected twelve disci- 
ples, who attended him during his life, who heard 
his instructions, saw his miracles, and accompanied 
him till his death. These he chose, not from 
among the rich, or the learned ; but from among 
fishermen and other persons of humble condition. 
This choice was in conformity with his doctrines 
and views, for it was evidently his design to show 
the world that his religion is not at all dependent 
for success on any talents or distinction merely 
human ; that it has no particular connection with 
human grandeur, or with political or literary repu- 
tation ; in short, that it consists in goodness^ and 
not in greatness either of property, rank or sci- 
ence. 

Christ, on particular occasions, employed other 
disciples, as agents to publish his mission and doc- 
trines ; but their agency was temporary. 

259. Institution of the Lord's supper. — Just 
before Christ was condemned to be crucified, he 
celebrated the passover with his disciples. At this 
supper, he informed his disciples that one of their 
number would betray him. This information filled 
their hearts with sorrow. Judas was the person 
to whom he alluded. On this melancholy occa- 
sion, just before the Savior was to leave the com- 
panions of his ministry, and suffer an ignominoui 



144 TALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

death, he instituted the Sacrament, Eucharist or 
Lord's supper. As they sat or reclined at table, 
Christ took bread and blessed it and gave a portion 
to each disciple, directing them to eat of it, as it 
was his body. Also he gave thanks and delivered 
to them the cup of wine to drink; for it was his 
blood of the new testament which was shed for 
many for the remission of sin. He commanded 
his disciples to celebrate this supper in remem- 
brance of him. In pursuance of this command, 
the disciples of Christ continue this ordinance to 
this day. 

MatiheWy. chapter 26. 

260. Christ hetrayed. — When the time had ar- 
rived for Christ to end his ministry on earth, he 
went to Jerusalem, and kept the passover with his 
disciples. He afterwards went to Gethsemane, at 
the foot of the mount of Olives, and directing his 
disciples to remain there, he went to a distance 
and fell on his face, and prayed, '' O my Father, if 
it is possible, let tins cup pass from me : neverthe- 
less not as I will, but as thou wilt.^' Returning, 
he found his disciples asleep, and said to Peter, 
" What, could you not watch with me one hour?" 
He then retired and prayed a second and a third 
time. Then Judas arrived with a multitude, armed 
with swords and ctalls, from the chief priests, and 
approaching to Christ, he said, " Hail, master," 
and kissed him. Jesus rebuked him, but when 
one of his friends struck a servant of the high 
priest and cut ofi'his ear, Jesus restrained him and 
would not permit any resistance ; for it was neces- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 145 

saiy that the scriptures should be fulfilled, and for 
this purpose, that he should be taken and crucified. 
Judas and his company then took Jesus and con- 
veyed him to Caiaphas, the high priest. 

261. Peter disowns his master, — Christ had 
previously said that all his disciples would that 
night be offended, that is, desert him or give up 
his cause. Peter, an ardent man, declared he 
would not. Jesus told him, that before the cock 
should crow, the next morning, he would deny 
him thrice. Peter persisted and said, he would 
sooner die than disown him. But observe the 
weakness and inconstancy of the man. Peter fol- 
lowed Christ to the palace or judgment hall, and 
sat in an outer apartment, where a damsel said to 
him, that he was one of the companions of Jesus. 
Peter denied it. He afterwards repeated his de- 
nial the second and third time ; and then the cock 
crowed. This reminded him of what Jesus had 
foretold; and his conscience smote him. He went 
out and wept bitterly. No wonder he wept. To 
disown such a teacher, in the time of 'rial and dis- 
tress, was, beyond measure, ungratefiil, 

262. Trial and condemnation of Christ. — In 
the morning Christ was bound and conveyed to 
Pontius Pilate, the governor, who asked him, if 
he was the king of the Jews. He was accused by 
the chief priests and elders, but no positive proof 
was brought against him, and Pilate was inclined 
to discharge him. His wife also was troubled by 
a dream respecting; Jesus, and advised her hus- 
band to have nothing to do with that just man. As 
it was customary at the feast, for a prisoner to be 
released, Pilate inquired of the people whether he 

13 



146 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

should release Jesus or Barabbas, a robber. The 
people said, Barabbas ; but let Jesus be crucified. 
The governor said, Why, what evil hath he done ? 
Pilate would have released him ; but the people 
were violent, and said, " His blood be on us and 
on our children." Jesus was then delivered to be 
crucified ; he was stripped and a scarlet robe put 
on him ; a crown of thorns was set on his head ; 
and then he was mocked and insulted by the pop- 
ulace, and led to the place of crucifixion. 

263. Crucifixion of Christ. — Jesus was the» 
hung upon a cross, between two thieves, and while 
he was in the agonies of death, he vvas insulted by 
the people, who sarcastically said to him, '' If thou 
art the son of God, come down from the cross." 
" He saved others, himself he cannot save." Je- 
sus, just before he expired, cried out in extreme 
anguish, " My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
saken me ?" He repeated his cry, and expired. 
At this moment, there was an earthquake, the 
rocks were rent, the vail of the temple was torn 
asunder from the top to the bottom, graves were 
, opened, and the dead arose ; and for three hours, 
I the land w^as shrouded in darkness ! Such were 
\ the phenomena attending this great event, the 
most solemn, the most awful, and the most inter- 
! esting that the world ever saw. 
/ Jesus, despised and insulted as he had been by 
! the Jews, had friends who loved and honored him. 
( Joseph of Arimathea, a man of rank, went to Pi- 
! late and requested that he might have the body of 
Jesus ; which he took, wrapped in linen, and de- 
posited in a new sepulcher. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 147 



Matt, chap. 28, 3Iark, chap. 16. LuJce, chap. 24. 

264. Resurrection of Christ. — On the first day 
of the week, early in the morning, Mary Magda- 
lene, and Mary, the mother of James, went to the 
sepulcher, with spices which they had prepared to 
anoint the body. But they found the stone rolled 
away from the grave, and an angel appeared to 
them. His countenance was like lightning, and 
his raiment white as snow. The guard were terri- 
bly frightened ; but the angel calmed the fears of 
the women, telling them that Christ had risen from 
the grave. " Come," said he, " see the place 
where the Lord lay." They looked and saw that 
the body was not there ; and went in haste to in- 
form the disciples. On their way, Jesus met the 
disciples. They did not at first know him ; but 
afterwards, when he was at table with them, he 
opened their eyes, and they recognized him. He 
then disappeared ; but afterwards he appeared 
among them in Jerusalem, and convinced them 
that he was Jesus vvho had been crucified, by show- 
ing them his hands and feet, which had been 
wounded by being nailed to the cross. He then 
discoursed with them, opened their understandings, 
showing them that his sufferings and death were 
in accomplishment of the predictions of the scrip- 
tures ; and charging them to go and teach all na- 
tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He then led 
them to Bethany and blessed them ; and while he 
was blessing them, he was parted from them and 
carried into heaven. 



148 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



Acts, chapter 1. 

265- Matthias takes the place of Judas. — While 
tlie disciples stood looking towards heaven, two 
angels appeared to them and asked them why they 
stood gazing; this same Jesus would hereafter 
come in like manner as they had seen him ascend 
to heaven. The disciples then went from mount 
Olivet to Jerusalem, and there continued with one 
accord in prayer and supplication. On one occa- 
sion Peter stood among the disciples, who w^ere 
then about one hundred and twenty, and spoke 
concerning Judas the traitor, who had perished by 
a miserable death. This death made a vacancy in 
the number of apostles, and it was proposed that 
another person should be appointed to fill the 
place. They accordingly appointed two persons, 
Barsabas and Matthias, and prayed that God would 
manifest which of the two he approved. They 
cast lots and the lot fell on Matthias, who was then 
numbered with the eleven apostles. 

Acts, chapter 2. 

266. Three thousand converted, — On the day 
of Pentecost, or feast of weeks, the aposjtles were 
all assembled, and suddenly there came a sound 
from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it 
filled the house. This was in fulfillment of the 
promise of the Holy Spirit by Christ. Acts 1 ; 8. 
The disciples were all filled with the Spirit, and 
began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit 
gave them utterance ; cloven tongues appearing 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 149 

and lighting on each of them. This thing being 
known, a multitude came together, and were as- 
tonished at the fact, that the apostles were speak- 
ing in their own languages. There were at that 
time, men from all the neighboring countries con- 
vened, and they were amazed ; but some mockej, 
and said, " These men are full of new wine." But 
Peter rose and addressed the assembly ; telling 
them that this event was the fulfillment of the 
prophecy of Joel 2 : 28. and then gave them a 
short account of Jesus Christ, his miracles, death 
and resurrection. The effect of his preaching was 
immediate and wonderful ; the hearers were prick- 
ed to the heart, and said to Peter and the apostles, 
"Men, brethren, what shall w^edo?" ''Repent 
and be baptized," said Peter. This was a joyful 
admonition ; and those w^ho believed, w^ere bap- 
tized, to the number of about three thousand. 
This was the first great revival of religion. 

Acts, chapter 9. 

267. Conversion of Pavl, — The apostles who 
had accompanied Jesus Christ during his ministry, 
were eye witnesses of his miracles, of his crucifix- 
ion, of his being alive after his resurrection, and 
of his ascension to heaven ; and they personally 
received his doctrines and instructions. 

But Christ saw fit to select and qualify another 
apostle for the propagation of his religion. This 
was Saul of Tarsus, afterwards called Paul. This 
man was a bitter enemy of Christianity ; he was 
present when the martyr Stephen w^as stoned, and 
held the raiment of his murderers. As he jour- 
13* 



150 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

neyed from Jerusalem towards Damascus, with a 
commission to persecute the Christians, he was 
suddenly arrested by a light from heaven which 
made him blind, a voice calling to him, -' Saul, 
Saul, why dost thou persecute me?" This was 
Christ who directed him to proceed to Damascus, 
and there he would meet with a disciple, Ananias, 
who would visit him. Thus it was, and Ananias 
baptized Paul, who received the Holy Spirit, and 
recovered his sight. Paul being now miraculous- 
ly converted by Christ, became a most active apos- 
tle, and intrepid soldier of Christ, who spent the 
remainder of his life in preaching the gospel, and 
contending with its opposers. He was probably 
the instrument of converting more men to Chris- 
tianity, than any other man who has ever lived. 

268. Propagation of Christianity. — The apos- 
tles, in pursuance of the command of Christ, soon 
separated from each other, and preached the doc- 
trines of Christianity to all the nations under the 
Roman empire. They encountered all the force 
of prejudice and interest ; they were opposed, de- 
rided, insulted, persecuted, and some of them put 
to death with cruel tortures. But nothing could 
vanquish their zeal, or induce them to abandon the 
cause of their master. They prayed, they preach- 
ed, they exhorted, they instructed ; and in a few 
years they had made converts in most of the sur^ 
rounding nations. They established churches in 
all the principal cities, which churches were inde*- 
pendent of each other, but all provided with teach- 
ers or pastors. The apostles were endowed with 
the power of performing miracles ; and the exer- 
tion of this power as&isted their efforts to convince 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 151 

the Jews and pagans, of the truth of their doc- 
trines. 

269. Reflections. — The histories written by the 
evangelists, and the Acts of the Apostles by Luke, 
contain narrations of events by far the most im- 
portant that ever occurred on earth. The birth 
of the Savior, the doctrines he preached, the puri- 
ty of his life, and his final sufferings and death, 
are themes on which angels may dwell with rap- 
turous joy. Well then may men rejoice, when we 
consider that his appearance, his teachings, his 
obedience, and his sufferings were designed to re- 
deem an apostate w^orld ; to disclose the way by 
which mankind can be restored to the favor of 
God, which by their sins they had forfeited ; and 
by which, the penalty of everlasting destruction 
which they had incurred, may be avoided. 

The Christian religion has already changed the 
aspect of a large part of the world. It has banish- 
ed idolatry and pagan superstition from many 
countries ; it has civilized and softened the m.an- 
ners of nations ; it has mitigated the cruelties of 
war; it has inspired a spirit of peace ; it has raised 
the female part of our species from degradation 
and slavery ; it has founded charitable institutions 
to alleviate the sufferings of the poor ; it has intro- 
duced the true principles of civil liberty ; it has 
begun to arrest the barbarous practice of enslaving 
our fellow men ; it has changed or is changing 
the character of the whole world. After a lapse 
of eighteen hundred years, men have learned that 
they are bound to labor for the furtherance of the 
gospel ; that this is the great, the principal duty 
of all Christian nations, to which all other schemes 



152 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

of improvement are subordinate ; and the work 
will prosper ; the gospel will triumph, till all men 
living shall bow to the scepter of Jesus Christ. 

270. Superior excellence of the (Christian reli- 
gion, — The first and most essential advantaire of 
the religion of the Bible, is, that it proceeds from 
God himself by revelation. It has God for its au- 
thor, and truth for its basis. No other system of 
religion has even a plausible claim to a divine ori- 
gin. Men without revelation wander in darkness; 
they have no just notions of the creator of all 
things ; they know not who made the world and 
themselves, nor why they were made ; they know 
not any divine will or law, nor any authoritative 
rules which are to govern their actions ; they have 
some crude notions of a superior power, but where 
he is, or what his character, they are utterly igno- 
rant ; hence they frame deities in their imagina- 
tions, and worship them ; they pay homage to the 
sun and moon ; or to animals on the earth ; and 
making images of their deities, they worship stocks 
and stones, of any and every monstrous form. 
Thus they live without a knowledge of God, in 
ignorance and beastly vices, and die without hope, 
like the brutes. Such has been the condition of 
most nations from the earliest ages. 

271. Advantages of revelation, — It was in ac- 
cordance with the character of a benevolent Crea- 
tor, that when he made a rational being, he should 
make known to him the author of his being, the 
purposes for which he was made, and the laws by 
which his reason should be regulated. God there- 
fore revealed to man his character and will. He 
informs men that his essence is purely spiritual, 



VALUE or THE BIBLE. 153 

and of course invisible to human eyes ; that his at- 
tributes are almighty power and wisdom ; perfect 
holiness, and pure benevolence ; that he is sover- 
eign of the world, and enjoins on all his rational 
creatures entire obedience to his will ; that sin or 
disobedience to his Iav»^s will certainly be punished 
with eternal banishment from his presence ; but 
that his obedient subjects will be rewarded with 
endless happiness. Hence, although men must all 
die, yet there will be a resurrection from the 
grave, and all men will be judged according to 
their works ; the good will be separated from the 
wicked ; and the destiny of both classes will be 
irrevocably fixed. 

272. First duties of men, — The first and most 
important duty of men, or rational beings, is to 
make themselves acquainted with the author of 
their existence, his character and attributes, his 
will and laws, and what he enjoins us to do or for- 
bear. Of God's character, we may obtain some 
imperfect notions from his works, from the world 
in which we live, its structure, its productions, the 
arrangement of its parts, and the adaptation of 
each part and every production to its proper use. 
Our views of the Creator may be still further ex- 
tended by surveying the heavens, and the harmony 
of the whole system of worlds. These give us ex- 
alted ideas of the Creator. But we must resort 
to revelation for the more accurate knowledge of 
God; his attributes ; and especially of his moral 
government, in which we are most essentially con- 
cerned. In the scriptures only can we obtain a 
knowledge of God's spiritual essence, his purity, 
holiness, truth, justice and benevolence. In the 



154 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

scriptures only can we learn for what purposes we 
were made, what God requires us to he and to do^ 
to obtain his favor and protection in this life, and 
what is to be our fate after death. 

273. Obedience to God, — As God is a being of 
perfect holiness himself, he requires his rational 
creatures to be holy, that is, like himself, as the 
only condition of his favor. It is incompatible 
with God's nature and attributes to approve any 
thing that is unholy or sinful ; his nature repels 
from himself whatever is in opposition to it ; and 
an unholy being could not be happy in his imme- 
diate presence, a single moment. Holiness or pu- 
rity of heart implies an entire conformity to God's 
will in principle, accompanied with a perfect obe- 
dience of life ; or a constant desire and aim at such 
obedience. 

274. Sin. — Sin is any voluntary transgression 
^f God's laws ; or any voluntary neglect of the du- 
ties which he requires. Sins may be either sins of 
commission, that is, active violations of God's law ; 
or they may be sins of omission, that is, passive 
neglect of duty. The will and commands of God 
are revealed in the scriptures, with so much clear- 
ness, that every person of common understanding 
may learn from them what he is to perform, and 
what he is to forbear doing. Hence the first busi- 
ness of men is to read the scriptures, and learn the 
character and will of God and their own duties. 

275. Moral law, — The law by which the con- 
duct of men in their several relations to God and 
their brethren of the human race, is to be regula- 
ted, is called the moral law. This proceeds from 
the will of God, is ordained by his authority, and 



VALUE OF THE I5IBLE. 155 

adapted to promote his glory, and the happiness of 
mankind. It is sometimes stated in theories, that 
an action is right because it is useful ; and that it 
would be right on account of its fitness, independ- 
ent of a divine command. But we can know noth- 
ing respecting fitness or unfitness, except as they 
exist in the works of God ; and as he originated 
whatever exists, his will or purpose must have 
preceded all created things, and all the relations of 
things to each other. Whatever is right and use- 
ful therefore, must be so because God has ordained 
it to be the means of promoting his designs in the 
general system of things ; and whatever is evil and 
mischievous must be so, because God has ordained 
it to be subversive of his designs. 

276. Tke glory of God and happwess of his 
creatures. — We are told by the apostle Paul, that 
in whatever we do, we are to do all to the glory of 
God. The whole system of created things, and 
their relations to God and to each other, are so ad- 
justed by the Creator, that the actions of his ra- 
tional creatures, which are essentially right and 
best adapted to promote their interest and happi- 
ness, are in accordance with God's will, and tend 
to his glory. In a perfect system of things, a God 
of infinite power, directed by infinite benevolence, 
would not sufl^er to exist any discordance, or dis- 
crepancy, between moral actions which affect his 
own character, and those which afi^ect the interest 
and happiness of men. Such disagreement would 
imply imperfection in the Creator, which we can- 
not suppose to be possible. 



156 VALUE OF THE BIBLE* 



First Commamdm^enL 

277. Suprem^e love to God, — The first and great 
commandment, Christ has informed us, is, to love 
the Lord our God, with all the heart and soul and 
strength and mind. And why ? For this obvious 
reason : that God is the greatest and best being, 
indeed the only perfectly good being in the uni- 
verse. This command then is in accordance with 
our reason, for that which is the best is most desir- 
able, and tends most to our happiness. But in ad- 
dition to this fitness, gratitude to God, our creator 
and constant benefactor, demands our warmest af- 
fections, for having made us what we are ; for giv- 
ing us all we have ; and for offering us all we can 
desire, in a future life. Besides, supreme love to 
God leads or inclines us to love his works, his 
laws and his intelligent creatures. In short, it is 
the source of all good motives and principles in 
the human heart ; and the exercise of this supreme 
love is a perpetual source of happiness to us in 
this life. In demanding this love then from men, 
God has consulted our happiness no less than his 
own glory. Here the two things are in perfect 
harmony. 

Second Commandment. 

278. Love to our fellow-men, — Christ informs 
US that the second command is like the first, "Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." The reasons 
are obvious ; men are all one family, the children 
of the same father, formed with like capacities for 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE- 1&7 

improvement and enjoyment, and destined to the 
same end. The individuals of this great family- 
are more or less dependent on each other; and 
while each is bound to take care of himself and his 
connections, he is bound so to conduct his own af- 
fairs, as not to injure or annoy his neighbors ; on 
the other hand he is bound by the law of kindness, 
and the command of God, to do them good, when- 
ever he can do it without injury to himself; and 
further, he is bound to relieve them in want and 
distress, even when such relief requires a sacrifice 
of time, labor or property. And the performance 
of these duties is accompanied with a reward, even 
in this life; for it gives us pain to see others in 
distress ; we are always happier for making or see- 
ing others happy. In this we observe that God's 
command tends to advance our own happiness. 

In the two commandments above mentioned, 
Christ has comprised the substance of the moral / 
law, or the whole of religion. It is love to God I 
and love to man, 1 

279. Idolatry. — In the second commandment ' 
delivered to Moses on mount Sinai, the worship of 
images, pictures, statues, or the likeness of any 
created thing, is strictly prohibited. But a large 
portion of mankind have never known this pro- 
hibition, and they constantly worship images. 
This is idolatry, that abominable sin which God 
hates ; the sin which often brought most terrible 
judgments upon the Israelites. And if any per- 
sons professing to belong to the denomination of 
Christians, adore images or pictures, or pay hom- 
age or divine honors to any created being, they vi- 
olate the express command of God. '' Thou shalt 
14 



158 VALUE OIF THE BIBLE. 

worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
serve," is the express command of God. Deuter- 
onomy 6 : 13. 10 : 20. Matt. 4 : 10. 

The adoration of images, whether made of wood, 
stone, silver or gold ; and of pictures on wood or 
canvas, is a mark of extreme stupidity ; and shows 
the degraded state of human reason. Nor is it 
much less stupid to pray to saints or departed spir- 
its. What can they do for men on earth ? They 
cannot know who prays to them, nor what they 
pray for. They are not present with the wor- 
shiper : they are not omnipresent; and if they 
were, they could not help him. How degraded, 
how blind, and wretchedly ignorant, must be the 
persons who believe that pictures, or images, or 
departed souls, can afford them any assistance ! 

Third Commandment. 

280. Profaneness, — Among the sins prohibited 
by God, is profaneness. *' Thou shalt not take the 
name of the Lord thy God in vain." This forbids 
all oaths and vain swearing, in which the name of 
the Supreme Being is used with levity and irrev- 
erence. Such use of God's name implies, in the 
guilty person, a want of due regard to the majesty 
of God ; and it tends to bring his sacred name and 
attributes into contempt with others. Then, a con- 
tempt of God leads to a disregard of his word, and 
an open violation of his laws. Nothing can be 
more pernicious than such contempt ; for " the 
fear of God is the beginning of wisdom ;" it is the 
spring, the source of all religion and piety ; it is 
this fear which operates as the most powerful re- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 159 

straint on all the evil propensities of mankind; it 
is that without which there can be no effectual re- 
straint of human passions, of lust, ambition, anger, 
and reveng-e. To weaken that fear in the human 
mind, is a great evil ; to banish it, is to destroy the 
foundation of all religion and morals. 

And of what use is profanity I Was any man 
ever wiser or happier for an irreverent use of 
God's name ? Did any man ever gain respect, or 
pleasure, or property, by profane swearing 1 Not 
at all ; it is the most foolish and useless, as well as 
one of the most low, vulgar vices, that a man can 
commit. And in females, how shocking, how de- 
testable I In this prohibition then, God, who re- 
quires from us supreme reverence, forbids nothing 
that is for our interest, our honor, or our happi- 
ness ; but that only which is useless, and degra- 
ding to ourselves. Here again is a perfect coinci- 
dence of God's will with our own interest and rep- 
utation. 

Fourth Commandment. 

281. The Sabbath. — "Remember the Sabbath 
day and keep it holy," is the express command of 
God. The Sabbath was instituted in commemora- 
tion of God's finishing the work of creation. It 
was enjoined upon men for other important purpo- 
ses, particularly for giving rest and refreshment 
to man and beast, when weary by labor ; and to 
give man one day in seven, to be consecrated to 
the immediate service of God. This service of 
God is the means prescribed for improvement in 
divine knowledge ; in religious and moral instrue- 



160 VALUE OF THE BIBLE, 

tion ; which is necessary to ^uide us in the way of 
truth and duty in this life, and to prepare us for 
the enjoyment of heavenly bliss in a future world. 
In all respects, the sabbath is a most important in- 
stitution^ so important, that where it is not obser- 
ved, men degenerate not only in religion, but in 
morals and manners ; and become a kind of half 
savages. What can be more offensive to the au- 
thor of ail our blessings, than a habitual neglect of 
this institution ? How reproachful is it to men, 
who are every moment dependent on the sustain- 
ing power of the iVlmighty, to refuse a portion of 
their time to learn his will, to praise his goodness, 
and supplicate his favors, and the forgiveness of 
their offenses ? The rest of the sabbath is very 
useful in recruiting the strength of the body, and 
necessary in the formation of the moral and reli- 
gious character. In both respects, the command 
of God tends to the interest and happiness of men, 
as well as to his glory. 

Fifth Commandment. 

282. Obedience to Parents. — " Honor thy father 
and thy mother," is another express command of 
God. This duty has a special reference to the good 
order of society. Parents are the natural guar- 
dians and governors of their children, during their 
infancy and childhood. It is made the duty of pa- 
rents to provide for them food, clothing and in- 
struction ; and a sense of this duty is strongly for- 
tified by the affection of parents for their children. 
In return children are commanded to obey their 
parents. Ephesians, 6 : 1. No duties of men in 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 161 

society are more important to peace and good order 
than those of parents and children. Families are 
the origin of nations ; the principles instilled into 
youth in families, and the habits there formed are 
the germs of the principles and habits of society 
and nations. If children are left without restraint 
and culture in early life, many or most of them 
will be rude in manners, and turbulent members of 
society. On the other hand, the subordination of 
children in families tends to favor subordination in 
citizens ; respect for parents generates respect for 
rulers and laws ; at the same time, it cherishes and 
invigorates all the kindly affections, which are es- 
sential to domestic happiness. In this command 
then we see the entire coincidence between the 
will of God and our own interest and happiness. 

Sixth Commandment. 

283. Homicide, — Homicide, or the killing of 
one man by another is expressly forbid by God's 
law, "Thou shalt not kill." This prohibition ex- 
tends to murder, manslaughter and other species 
of intentional killing. This is one of the most ag- 
gravated crimes, which can be perpetrated by men ; 
so enormous is it, that the punishment of it, both 
by divine and human laws, is death, " Whoever 
sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be 
shed." Gen. 9 : 6. Life is the gift of God ; and 
neither has one man a right to take another's life 
without a legal judgment for that purpose, nor has 
a man a right to put an end to his own life. Sui- 
cide as well as murder is a foul crime. If one man 
were permitted to kill another, what a horrible 
14* 



162 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

world would this be ! No man would be safe a sin- 
gle day; we should be in terror by day and terror 
by night. 

But we are not only prohibited from killing 
others by violence ; we are forbid to do any thing 
knowingly which will destroy life. We are requi- 
red to avoid any act which, in its consequences, 
may impair health. Thus we may not sell or give 
to others unwholesome food or drugs: we may not 
furnish food or drinks which tend to shorten life; 
we may not injure our own health, by excess in 
eating or drinking, or labor ; nor can we innocent- 
ly require such excess of labor in our servants, or 
demand of them such an exposure, as to put their 
lives in peril. In this prohibition we see the good- 
ness of God in guarding our safety. 

Seventh Commandment. 

284. Lewdness, — All carnal intercourse between 
the sexes, except in lawful marriage is forbidden. 
The evils that proceed from a violation of God's 
law on this subject, are unspeakably great. The 
injuries to health, the dissipation of property, the 
ruin of female character, the destruction of family 
happiness, and the abandonment of all moral and 
religious principle, with the final loss of the soul, 
are among the woful consequences of this wicked- 
ness. The institution of marriage was intended to 
prevent a promiscuous intercourse of sexes, which 
sinks men to brutes ; also to preserve chastity, 
and to foster all the kind and tender affections that 
contribute to bind society together, prevent broils 
jealousy and hatred, and unite mankind in harmo- 
ny and peace. The man that disturbs the peace of 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 163 

a family by leading astray one of its members, in- 
curs guilt next to that of murder. The restraints 
laid upon mankind by the law of God, in this par- 
ticular, are essential to human happiness. 

Eighth Commandment, 

285. Theft,—'' Thou shalt not steal," is the brief 
command of God, which comprises the prohibition 
of taking property froai others unjustly, in any 
manner whatever. In a strict legal sense theft is 
only the taking of property from ^Luoiher privately 
and fraudulently, or with a felonious intent ; but in 
a scriptural sense, it includes robbery and piracy. 
And why is theft immoral? Because God has for- 
bidden it. But it is immoral also for reasons ari- 
sing from our own rights. Our right to property 
proceeds from our personal labor in acquiring it, 
from purchase or from gift. If a man earns a hun- 
dred dollars by his labor, that labor is a personal 
sacrifice, of which the money is the reward. If 
another man steals that hundred dollars, he takes 
the value of his services ; that is, he has the use 
of the other man's limbs without a consideration. 
This would be unjust; hence it is the law of God 
and of man that every man shall enjoy safely and 
quietly what he earns, what he buys with his ear- 
nings, and what is given or bequeathed to him, as 
the earnings of others. 

286. Fraud and cheating, — Every species of 
fraud and cheating is forbidden in the command 
not to steal. The methods employed by men to 
gain property without giving an equivalent for it 
are literally innumerable. One man defrauds by 



164 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

concealing the defects of an article which he sells, 
and obtaining for it more than its worth ; another 
defrauds by substituting one article for another 
which appears to be like it ; another defrauds by 
selling a less quantity than the purchaser believes 
to be contained in the vessel or package ; another 
mixes articles together which are of different val- 
ues, or puts with a valuable article soniething 
which is of no value, as in adulterating liquors, 
drugs, powders and the like. Others defraud in 
contracts or in labor, performing less than is stip- 
ulated. All such frauds are species of stealing, 
within the meaning of God's prohibition. These 
and many others are all sinful; highly displeasing to 
God and injurious to our fellow men. And of what 
advantage is stealing and fraud ? The man who steals 
or defrauds always feels uneasy, guilt torments 
him and especially the sight of the man whom he 
has defrauded, and, if detected, he is doomed to be 
infamous. If stealing and robbery were permitted 
the world would be a continued scene of strife and 
bloodshed. In this prohibition of theft therefore, 
God's law is as really for our interest and happi- 
ness as for his glory. 

Ninth Commandment. 

287. Falsehood, — The command of God on this 
subject is " Thou shalt not bear false testimony 
against thy neighbor !" In other words, thou shalt 
not utter any thing false to the prejudice of thy 
neighbor. This command forbids all lying, as well 
as false testimony in a court. Lying consists not 
only in affirming what one knows to be false ; but 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 165 

in any action that is intended to deceive. This^ 
may be by a nod of the head or a motion of the 
finger. But the prohibition has an especial refer- 
ence to slander or defamation. This is one of the 
most common, as well as most mischievous vices. 
A person's reputation is his most valuable possess- 
ion ; indeed without a good name, a man of sensi- 
bility can not enjoy any possession. Slander may 
be by direct falsehood or lying respecting another; 
or by propagating evil reports from others, know- 
ing them to b€ false. Whatever is said with a view 
to lesson the reputation of others, must proceed 
from a malio^nant heart. That which is false ouo^ht 
never to be reported ; and in many cases, truth ta 
the predjudice of another, ought not to be told. 

288. Lying and ^perjury, — Whenever a man 
communicates to another that which is false^ ma- 
king him to believe what is not true, with the in- 
tention to mislead him, he is guilty of lying. Truth 
is all-important in the intercourse of men. We 
are connected in society by a thousand relations in 
business, which are necessary to our welfare ; and 
which cannot be disturbed without serious injury. 
Falsehood destroys confidence in neighborhoods, 
fills men with distrust and jealousy ; interrupts 
the harmonious transaction of business ; often oc- 
casions loss of property, quarrels, lawsuits and 
endless broils. 

Perjury or swearing falsely in courts of law and 
equity is the more criminal, as it may produce 
immense injustice and even destroy life. 

289. Punishment of falsehood, — ^What advan- 
tage is gained by defamation, lying or perjury ? 
Suppose a person to gain a little property or traw-. 



166 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

«ient gratification by deception, what is the conse- 
quence ? If he is not detected, he must be forever 
tortured by a guilty conscience, for guilt never 
leaves a man at ease ; and, if detected, he is uni- 
versally despised and shunned : he forfeits the es- 
teem and confidence of all others, and especially of 
all good men vi^hose esteem is most valuable; he 
is distrusted in all his declarations; he is degraded. 
Such is his punishment in this life. But God is a 
God of truth ; he requires truth in men, and he 
has declared that " all liars shall have their part in 
the lake that burns vi^ith fire and brimstone." Rev. 
21 : 8. In forbidding slander, falsehood and perju- 
ry therefore God has established a rule of action 
for our beiiefit, no less than for the glory of his 
character, and the consistency of his moral govern- 
ment. 

Tenth C^mmandmenL 

290. Coveting. — The prohibitions in this com- 
mand restrain us from coveting the goods of our 
neighbors. We are then not only forbid to obtain 
by theft or fraud what belongs to others ; but we 
may not even desire their possessions, which prov- 
idence has withheld from us. This desire often or 
generally proceeds from envy, inordinate ambi- 
tion, or from discontent with the allotments of 
providence. This prohibition extends to render 
sinful all gaming, lotteries and rash enterprises for 
the sake of gain. We are bound to rest contented 
with the portion of property which we gain by 
honest industry and other lawful means. W^hat 
loads of guilt are incurred by men whose inordi- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLlB* 167 

nate desire of riches leads them to the use of ev- 
ery species of unlawful means ? What detestable 
and criminal schemes do men devise and practice 
to gain office and superiority of station ! With 
what envy do the poor often behold the rich, and 
perhaps when the rich man has gained by labo- 
rious industry a condition which the idle and the 
vicious will not labor to obtain ! But all repining 
at the affluence of others is forbidden by God; and 
this prohibition is for our good ; for without con- 
tentment there can be little or no happiness in life. 

Eph. 4:31. Cor, 3 : 8. MatU 5 : 22, ^9, 44. 

291. Anger. — Anger is a passion excited by an 
injury or supposed injury done by another. It is 
a passion easily provoked, and too often indulged 
without restraint. But however difficult it may 
be to suppress it, in cases of wilful injury ; yet the 
divine commands, and our own peace require that 
we restrain it. A moderate degree of resentment 
or feeling of dislike will usually be felt, when we 
receive an insult or wilful injury. But it is of 
great importance to accustom ourselves to restrain 
this passion. We should ever be silent, when in- 
sulted rather than to utter an angry retort. If a 
man insults us or treats us contemptuously, it is 
better to remain silent and leave him to his own 
reflections for a time; for he will generally relent, 
and regret that he has offended. It is a magnani- 
mous act, to overlook an injury, and it never fails 
to soften the offender and command his respect. 
Besides anger is a passion that makes a person un- 
happy, while it lasts; and if indulged to excess, 



168 VALUE 0]P THE BIBLE. 

often ends in further provocation and outrage. 
The prohibition of anger is therefore for our own 
happiness, as well as for the peace of society and 
the glory of God. 

Rom. 1: 29, 13, 13. Titus, 3: 3. Prov.3: 31. 
I Pet. 2:1. 

1292. Envy, — Envy is the uneasy feeling which 
is excited by seeing the prosperity, exaltation or 
superior good of another. It is a passion that tor- 
ments its possessor and thus inflicts its own pun- 
ishment. It implies also discontent with the por- 
tion of good which God has assigned to the en- 
vious person ; and this discontent can never be 
justified. To overcome this passion or feeling is 
indispensable to our comfort in life. A repining 
at the good of others often impairs the health, and 
always the happiness of men ; and it is sure to 
destroy friendship, alienate those who ought to 
love each other, and produce hatred and rivalries 
that interrupt the courtesies of life. In prohibit- 
ing this passion, God consults the happiness of 
men, as in all his other prohibitions. 

Jealousy is another passion which torments its 
possessor; and this, like other evils, proves that 
whatever is wrong tends more or less to disturb or 
destroy the comfort and happiness of men. 

293. Revenge, — Revenge is the infliction of evil 
on a person in return for a wrong or injury re- 
ceived. This is one of the most detestable prac- 
tices ; it is a hainous sin, and implies a temper ex- 
tremely malignant. Yet nothing is more natural i 
than a disposition to revenge. It is predominant 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 169 

among savages and the source of endless hostili- 
ties and war. In no one particular is the gospel 
more singular and superior to all human schemes 
of morality, than in the doctrine of forgiveness of 
injuries. This doctrine is a distinguishing trait 
in the preaching and instructions of Christ and his 
apostles. Says Christ, '' Love your enemies ; 
bless them who curse you, do good to them that 
hate you and pray for them who despitefully use 
you, and persecute you." Matt 5 : 44. The ex- 
cellence of such precepts shows them to be from 
heaven ; for men, without such precepts, have ev- 
er returned evil for evil, injury for injury, blood 
for blood. The practice of men has tilled the 
world with violence, cruelty, war and devastation; 
the precepts of Christ tend to soften and allay the 
malignant passions, restrain persecution, war and 
plunder, heal the wounds inflicted by injuries ; 
preserve peace between friends and nations, and 
cherish all the kind and benevolent affections. In 
short, the restraints imposed on our passions by 
the commands of God, all tend to our own peace 
and happiness. 

294. Intemperance. — By intemperance is to be 
understood all excessive indulgence of appetites 
and passions ; but more generally it signifies ex- 
cessive eating or gluttony, and the excessive drink- 
ing of intoxicating liquors. Excess in eating or 
drinking is a beastly vice ; a vice by which a man 
is degraded almost to a brute. Indeed in many 
cases, the drunkard is in a condition below the 
brutes, for he destroys the use of his powers and 
faculties, which the brute does not. All excess in 
eating and drinking impairs the health, and a habit 
15 



170 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

of this kind often wastes the property, and destroys 
reputation and usefuhiess. Many a life is shorten- 
ed by intemperate drinking ; many a crime is com- 
mitted in a state of intoxication, which the person, 
when sober, would shrink from with horror ; many 
a wife and family is rendered wretched by the use 
of spiritous liquors; and the greatest part of the 
tenants of the alms house and state prisons are 
those who have been habitual drinkers of spirit. 

295. Effects of intemperance, — Temperance in 
eating and drinkiug insures health, and generally 
lengthens life. In the days of the patriarchs, there 
was probably no such thing as distilled spirit, and 
wine was the juice of the grape unadulterated. To 
the temperate habits of Abraham, Isaac, and Ja- 
cob, it is probable we may ascribe their longevity. 
It is more than probable that intemperance in eat- 
ing and drinking, and the luxuries of the modern 
tables of the rich, have greatly shortened the usual 
period of human life. If men should drink water 
only, and eat no high-seasoned provision, using 
more vegetable and less animal food, there would 
be fewer diseases among men, and an increase in 
the length of life. In the indulgence of the appe- 
tites to excess and in cookery, men often gratify 
the taste at the expense of more permanent good, 
their freedom from dispepsy and other diseases, 
which annoy, if they do not destroy life. All ex- 
cess in eating and drinking is forbidden by the laws 
of God, and this prohibition tends to secure us in 
the enjoyment of substantial good. 

296. War, — War is a state of hostility between 
nations ; a contest for superiority, sometimes un- 
dertaken for plunder, as among savages ; some- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 171 

times for conquest of territory ; sometimes for a 
throne ; sometimes to avenge an injury or insult to 
national honor ; and sometimes for defense against 
an invading foe. The only war that can be justi- 
fied is a defensive war ; the resistance of an ene- 
my, that attempts to take our lives or property. 
We have a right to defend our persons, our houses, 
goods and lands against an assailing foe. But al- 
most all wars have been undertaken for plunder or 
conquest ; millions and millions of the human race 
have been slaughtered in fighting to gratify the 
ambition of monarchs, or the lust of dominion in 
republics. Men, who are all of one family, are 
separated into tribes or nations under different 
governments ; rival interests excite hatred ; and 
when such interests rouse the passion for war, 
men become blood-thirsty and ferocious as tigers. 
What a heart-rending sight must be a field of bat- 
tle, when thousands and tens of thousands of men, 
who ought to live as brethren, are engaged in the 
horrible work of shedding each others blood ! 
When will nations lay aside the detestable practice 
of fighting for their rights? When will they con- 
stitute civil tribunals to decide national controver- 
sies, as suits between individuals are now decided? 
When will men shake off the remains of savage 
and barbarous customs, and assume the dignity of 
christians ? 

297. Slavery, — One of the consequences of war 
is slavery. In early ages, before men w^ere civil- 
ized, tribes of barbarians made war on other tribes 
for plunder and for prisoners. Prisoners were 
made slaves, as they still are by some nations. 
Christianity has abolished this practice among most 



172 VALUE or THE BIBLE. 

European nations ; but until within a few years, 
these same nations have permitted the practice of 
purchasing prisoners of war in Africa, to be trans- 
ported to America and enslaved. War is still car- 
ried on in Africa, among the barbarous tribes, to 
take captives to be sold and conveyed to America 
for slaves. England, France and the United States 
have restrained their subjects from this inhuman 
trade ; but ic is still carried on by other nations. 
This barbarous practice is one of the most alarm- 
ing evils of the world ; and the consequences of it 
no mortal can foresee. 

298. Dueling, — One of the most abominable of 
all savage customs, that of deciding points of hon- 
or or making satisfaction for personal injuries, 
by swords or pistols, has come down to this day 
from the times of barbarism. In this practice, our 
duelists retain the customs of savages. The ab- 
surdity of the practice is as flagrant as the wicked- 
ness. What ! a little petty quarrel, a sharp retort 
a disrespectful expression, a slight incivility must 
be punished by an appeal to the instruments of 
death. Is injury to be redressed or honor pre- 
served, by exposing the lives of two persons, the 
injurer and the injured? What proportion is there 
between the offense and the punishment ! How 
does a man atone for an insult to another by firing 
a pistol at him ? and how can a man who has not 
the heart of a savage, risk the whole earthly hap- 
piness of his beloved wife and children upon such 
an issue ? Miserable man a slave to false honor, a 
slave to his passions, an enemy to himself, an ene- 
my to his family, an enemy to society and his God. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 173 

When will the influence of christian principles take 
the place of a false honor derived from barbarians? 

299. Causes of human misery, — The two gen- 
eral causes of the sufferings of men, are physical 
and moral evils. Physical events, such as diseases, 
storms, famine and earthquakes, are often unavoid- 
able, and in that case are to be borne with resig- 
nation to the divine will. Many diseases however 
and other natural evils proceed from the ignorance, 
negligence or vices of men, and may be avoided. 
But moral evils constitute or produce most of the 
miseries of mankind and these may be prevented 
or avoided. Be it remembered then that disobe- 
dience to God's law, or sin is the procuring cause 
of almost all the sufferings of mankind. God has 
so formed the moral system of this world, that a 
conformity to his will by men produces peace, 
prosperity and happiness ; and disobedience to his 
will or laws inevitably produces misery. If men 
are wretched, it is because they reject the govern- 
ment of God, and seek temporary good in that 
which certainly produces evil. 

300. Folly and absurdities of men, — God has 
commanded men to be temperate in the use of his 
bounties; but men abuse his goodness, riot in glut- 
tony and drunkenness and destroy their health. — 
God has furnished water in abundance, which man 
may have with little labor or none at all ; and water 
used only when necessary, never produces disease; 
but men extract spirit from vegetable substances, 
and drink to excite lively freelings, which soon 
subside and leave the body in languor, and the 
practice, if continued ends in weakning, trembling, 
decay and death. 

15* 



174 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

God has enjoined benevolence, kindness, chari- 
ly, forgiveness of injuries, and justice in dealings; 
but men naturally follow the dictates of selfishness 
they withhold charities, revenge injuries, defraud 
their neighbors, and thus excite angry passions, 
enmities, hatred, lawsuits. Hence instead of so- 
cial peace and happiness, they are harassed with 
quarrels and losses. 

God has enjoined labor as the means of subsis- 
tence and health ; but men avoid labor, if they can; 
they indulge in idleness and resort to vicious pas- 
times, and waste their time, their money, and im- 
pair their health. Men are often their own worst 
enemies. 

301. Political evils, — Men, from the beginning 
of the world, have been devising forms of govern- 
ment best adapted to secure their safety, property, 
peace, justice and liberty. Numerous forms have 
been tried ; monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. 
After all their efforts, a perfect government has 
not yet been found. In the best form hitherto de- 
vised, defects have been discovered, which have 
frustrated the hopes of the founders. And what 
is the reason? Why the reason is comprised in a 
few words : Men have not obeyed God's precepts. 
This is the reason, the prominent cause of all po- 
litical evils. Rulers, when hereditary, are often 
corrupt men, indulging in all sensual vices, ambi- 
tion, selfishness, war; in short, they seek their 
own pleasure and grandeur, rather than the happi- 
ness of their subjects. In republics, in which ru- 
lers are elected by the people, or some portion of 
them, the case is sometimes better ; but in this 
form of governmerft men have hitherto been disap- 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 175 

pointed. Corrupt, selfish men, are often elected, 
and such men abuse their authority, neglect or vi- 
olate the laws, and occasion great public evils. 

302. Remedy for public evils, — The command 
of God is, *' He that ruleth over men must be just, 
ruling in the fear of God," 2 Sam. 23 : 3. this 
command prescribes the only effectual remedy for 
public evils. It is an absurd and impious senti- 
ment, that religious character is not necessary for 
public officers. So far is this from being true, that 
it is one of the principal qualifications, for any 
man making or administering laws. When the 
form of government admits men to office by hered- 
itary right, rulers may or may not be good men ; 
the people have no choice, and must submit. But 
in representative governments, if rulers are bad 
men, it is generally the fault of the people. The 
electors may indeed be deceived in regard to the 
principles of the man they choose ; they are some- 
times most wofully deceived. But in general, the 
calamity of having evil counselors, legislators, 
judges, and ministerial officers, is the fault of the 
electors. They do not regard the precept, to 
choose "just men, who will rule in the fear of 
God," They choose men, not because they are 
just men, men of religion and integrity, but solely 
for the sake of supporting a party. This is a fruit- 
ful source of public evils. But as surely as there 
is a God in heaven, who exercises a moral govern- 
ment over the affairs of this world, so certainly 
will the neglect of the divine command, in the 
choice of rulers, be followed by bad laws and a bad 
administration ; by laws unjust or partial, by cor- 
ruption, tyranny, impunity of crimes, waste of 



176 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 

public money, and a thousand other evils. Men 
may devise and adopt new forms of government ; 
they may amend old forms, repair breaches, and 
punish violaters of the constitution ; but there is^ 
there can be, no effectual remedy, but obedience to 
the divine law. 

303. Pride and humility. — The great difference 
between the maxims of the world and the doctrines 
of the gospel, is, that human opinions spring from 
pride, and tend to foster it ; whereas the doctrines 
of the gospel teach humility, and self-abasement. 
The maxims of the world serve to encourage self- 
dependence in men, inducing them to rely on their 
own strength and resources for success, in business 
or policy, without seeking aid from the Almighty 
source of power. The gospel inculcates the oppo- 
site doctrine ; it teaches that " God resisteth the 
proud, but giveth grace to the humble." It serves 
to make men humble, and to rely wholly on God 
for success, not only in spiritual concerns, but in 
the ordinary occupations of this world. In the 
pagan world, bravery and human efforts are every 
thing; and God is nothing. In the christian sys- 
tem, human strength is nothing, and God is every 
thing. In a christian country then, all govern- 
ment should be founded on Christian principles 
or should be directed to support them ; and to 
such a fjystem God will give success. All gov- 
ernmenls of a different kind will produce, as they 
have ever produced, innumerable evils while they 
last, and will ultimately sink into corruption and 
be ruined. All history is a tissue of facts confirm- 
ing these observations. 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 177 

S04. The Bible. — As the will of God is onr oa- 
\y rule of action, and that will can be fully known 
only from revelation, the Bible must be consider- 
ed as the great source of all the truths by which 
men are to be guided in government, as well as in 
all social transactions. Other books, if in accor- 
dance wiih the Bible, may be read with advantage. 
But a large proportion of the books which fill oun 
libraries have little or no bearing on the sound 
principles of morals and religion. They serve on- 
ly for amusement, and occupy time in reading that 
might be more usefully employed. The first and 
most important duty of man is to furnish his mind 
with correct notions respecting God, his laws, and 
human duty; and then to exert his faculties, and 
direct his knowledge to the benevolent design of 
making others wiser and better. It was for these 
purposes, the revelation of God was given to 
men; revelations preserved in the Bible, the in- 
strument of all reformation in morals and religion. 

305. Dignity of man, — The dignity of man, in 
the view of the world, consists in elevation of rank 
in society, superior intelligence, and high minded 
notions of honor. These are qualities which make 
men respected in society, and are of real value to 
the possessor. But thes€ qualities may be and of- 
ten are united, in the same character, with the foul- 
est vices. There is another species of dignity 
which consists in the abhorrence of every vice, 
and in aiming at the excellence which has a re- 
semblance to the divine perfections. God is the 
only perfect being, the only model of all excel- 
lence ; and no man can be possessed of true dig- 
nity of character, without purity of heart, and a 



178 VALVE OF THE BIBLE. 

divine principle which elevates the affections above 
the love of that which God abhors and forbids. 
"Whatever God forbids is degrading, however fash- 
ionable it may be, and however esteemed among 
men. It is our first duty to seek the honor that 
comes from God. 

306. Consistency of the scriptures, — The doc- 
trines and precepts recorded in the scriptures all 
tend to the same point, that of displaying the char- 
acter of God, and exalting the character of man 
by bringing it to a conformity with that of God. 
All vice and crime, whatever God forbids, tends to 
stain and lower human character ; whatever God 
requires, love, justice, charity, benevolence, and 
all kindred virtues, tend to elevate human charac- 
ter. All vice and crime tend to annoy and dimin- 
ish happiness ; religion, pure morals and all the 
virtuous affections tend to produce or increase hap- 
piness. As in the physical world, God has made 
every thing in the best manner to accommodate 
the human race, and every thing is adapted to that 
end ; so in the moral world, every thing ordained 
by God is adapted to promote intellectual and re- 
ligious improvement, and secure to men the great- 
est happiness of which they are susceptible in their 
present state of existence. 

307. Men co-workers with God, — God has not 
placed men upon the earth to live in idleness. He 
has made a soil to produce vegetables, but he has 
left men to sow, and plant and dress the fields. 
He has created trees, and stones, and clay, but he 
has not built houses ; the materials are made, but 
men are to prepare and use them. He has furnish- 
ed the earth and the sea with animals, but he has 



VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 179 

left it to men to take, to tame, to feed and to man- 
age such as his wants require. He has deposited 
Water, and coal and other minerals in the earth, 
where they lie safe without incommoding men; but 
he has left mankind to dig for them, and prepare 
them for use. 

So in the moral system, God has given powers 
and faculties to man, and laws to govern him ; but 
he has left men to cultivate their own faculties, and 
apply them to the discovery of truth, to the inven- 
tion of useful arts, and to improvement in govern- 
ment, morals, and religion. As in the natural 
world, the earth, if uncultivated, produces weeds 
and noxious plants ; so in morals and religion, the 
minds of men, if left without culture, produce 
whatever is evil, noxious to society, offensive to 
God and pernicious to human happiness. 

308. The christian religion exalts the intellect 
and perfects the human character, — The principal 
object of religion is to correct the heart and purify 
it from whatever is wrong and inconsistent with 
the enjoyment of God. But the sublime views of 
God and of his works, which the scriptures exhib- 
it have a wonderful effect in strengthening the in- 
tellect and expanding its powers. What a sublime 
description of the ominipresence and omniscience 
of God, is given in the hundred and thirty ninth 
psalm ? The sacred writers labor for words to ex- 
press the character and perfections of God. They 
transport us to an extent in which we are lost in 
the vastness of their conceptions. 

Equally effectual are the scriptures in refining 
our ideas, by representations of the purity and ho- 
liness of God. The more we know of God, the 



180 VALUE OF THE BIBLE. 



.\ 



more just will be our conceptions of what is enno- 
bling in our own conduct ; and every step we take 
in imitating his perfections is an advance in eleva- 
tion of character. This purity of mind, and this 
elevation and expansion of intellect are the begin- 
nings of that ever increasing holiness, and that 
boundless enlargement of knowledge which are to 
complete the character and the felicity of the chil- 
dren of God, in, another world. 

309. Genuine religion. — We must be careful 
to distinguish the real religion taught by Christ 
and his apostles, from those systems vvhich inter- 
ested men have established. We find the true re- 
ligion of Christ in the Bible only. It is a scheme 
wonderfully simple, the principles of vvhich are all 
comprehended in two short phrases, luve to God, 
and love to men. Supreme love to God, the source 
and model of all excellence, is the foundation of 
the whole system of Christianity ; and from this 
principle in the heart flow all the benevolent af- 
fections and exercises, which constitute practical 
piety. The person who loves God supremely, 
will reverence his character and laws, and will ex- 
tend his benevolent affections and charities to all 
bis creatures. From this source will proceed love 
to man, and the careful performance of all moral 
and social duties. 



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